RUSKIN, Fla. — A pastor at a church in Ruskin described hearing the gunfire after the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said a suspect shot two deputies on Thursday.
The deputy-involved shooting happened on Thursday, July 16.
WATCH: Church pastor describes gunshots after 2 Hillsborough County deputies were shot
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) said Christopher Dmuchowski, 34, held his ex-girlfriend captive at gunpoint throughout Wednesday night. She was able to escape on Thursday and get help at a sheriff's office district office.
Deputies arrived at a residence on West Shell Point Road in Ruskin. Deputies said Dmuchowski exited the apartment, walked toward a vehicle in the parking lot, and opened fire, striking two deputies.
Senior Pastor Thomas Emigh of the Ruskin Methodist Church said he heard the gunfire.
"The deputies were making their way over to the building, you know. I lost sight of them. I couldn't see them from where I was, but it was just boom, boom, boom, no yelling, no shouting. You could hear the shots right away," he said.
Sr. Pastor Emigh said his first priority was the 30 children onsite at the preschool and daycare. He said the staff immediately locked the doors when they saw a large number of law enforcement officers.
"Luckily, the kids never knew a thing, you know what I mean, that was our concern, not knowing what was happening. We didn't know if they were just serving a warrant ...we didn't know. We just asked everybody to stay inside," said Sr. Pastor Emigh.
According to Hillsborough County court records, a woman filed a petition seeking a domestic violence protection order against Dmuchowski last month.
A judge granted a temporary protection order, and a hearing was held on June 15.
According to court records, the woman writes in part, "We were verbally arguing, then he came from behind and choked me."
She said it was a toxic situation and she needed help getting away.
In that petition, she also referred to a prior incident in Manatee County in May of 2024.
Court records in Manatee County show Bradenton Police arrested Dmuchowski in May 2024 after a woman said he entered her apartment, grabbed her, and put his arm around her neck, causing her to lose consciousness.
Following the deputy-involved shooting, Dmuchowski was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The two deputies were taken to Tampa General Hospital and are expected to be okay.
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