Sheriff: Manatee County teen who stabbed mom exchanges gunfire with deputies, kills self

MANATEE -- A 16-year-old boy who stabbed his mother in the back of the head with a knife before running away from home Friday apparently killed himself with a handgun Saturday after exchanging gunfire with several law enforcement officers.

While some Manatee County Sheriff's Office deputies were looking for William Bradford on a juvenile pickup order based on Friday's domestic incident, two other deputies were trying to avoid getting shot by him Saturday during a pursuit following an attempted vehicle theft, authorities said.

"We were looking for William for the juvenile pickup and then we get the call late Saturday night that a juvenile is breaking into a car," Dave Bristow, a sheriff's office spokesman, said Sunday.

"We had no idea it was the same juvenile."

At about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Bradford was discovered in a truck in the 2500 block of 32nd Avenue East, Bradenton, according to a sheriff's office release.

Confronted by the truck's owner, Bradford got out of the vehicle holding a handgun and threatened to kill the truck's owner, the release states.

Bradford ran off, and deputies responded and tracked the teen into a nearby wooded area.

"We got there and followed William into the woods, and he began shooting at us," Bristow said. "We returned fire. He retreated further. We heard a single gunshot."

By that time, the SWAT team had been activated, and numerous deputies arrived at the scene, Bristow said.

"They went into the woods and found William deceased," Bristow said. "He had a gun in his hand and, apparently, he had shot himself."

No deputies were injured in the pursuit, Bristow added.

Bradford's mother told authorities on Friday that she had asked her son to hurry up and finish his lunch because she had to go to work and she was bringing him with her, the sheriff's office reported Saturday.

She turned to walk toward the door at their residence in the 3400 block of 55th Drive East, Bradenton, and felt a sharp pain in the back of her head, the report said. She immediately realized she was bleeding and turned around to see her son standing behind her and holding a knife.

Bradford ran from the home, and deputies, concerned for his safety, were trying to find him, Bristow said.

Richard Dymond, Herald reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7072 or contact him via Twitter@RichardDymond.

This story was originally published February 7, 2016 at 11:52 PM with the headline "Sheriff: Manatee County teen who stabbed mom exchanges gunfire with deputies, kills self."