TAMPA, Fla. – A Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputy was forced to use deadly force Tuesday morning after an encounter with an armed subject inside a Riverview home.
On December 7, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. deputies were called to the 12000 block of Longcrest Drive to investigate the report of an open garage door that a neighbor said had been open for at least two days. When the deputy arrived, she discovered the open door and an open interior door leading into the home and proceeded to enter in an attempt to make contact with the resident.
The deputy searched each room on the first and second floor of the home and came in contact with Ronald Ehrich, 88, in a second-floor bedroom. At the time, Ehrich displayed a firearm and threatened to shoot. The deputy retreated down the hall and into a guest bedroom as Ehrich cornered her. After stating she was with the Sheriff’s Office and making several commands to drop the gun, in fear of her life, the deputy fired her HCSO issued firearm. Ehrich was later pronounced deceased at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The deputy, Anastacia Castillo, has been with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office since 2015 and does not have any previous history of use of deadly force.
“There is no other way to describe this other than tragic,” said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. “This deputy went in to save a life, expecting to find someone experiencing a medical emergency. She made every attempt to deescalate the situation before being forced to fire her weapon for her own safety.”
According to WTSP, Ehrich was a police officer in the 1970s and later served as a security officer at a defunct bank.
The FDLE will be investigating this incident.
