Police: Fugitive Killed Florida Cop, a Father of Six Who Worked Midnight Shift to Be With Youngest Daughter

MIAMI (TheBlaze/AP) — A fugitive trying to evade an arrest warrant shot a Tampa-area police officer and then ran him over early Sunday, killing the officer, police said.

Charles Kondek (Image source: Bay News 9)

Marco Antonio Parilla Jr., 23, crashed his car into a pole and another vehicle after running over Tarpon Springs officer Charles Kondek. Parilla was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder.

The shooting did not appear to have any connection to the ambush killings of two New York police officers a day earlier.

Authorities said Kondek responded to a noise call around 2 a.m. at an apartment complex. Parilla was pounding on doors, looking for a neighbor who "dimed him out" to police, authorities said. When Parilla saw Kondek, he fired multiple rounds at the officer, striking him once above his bullet-proof vest.

"We know we have the right guy in custody," Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. "This guy knew what he was doing, he killed a cop and he needs to be held accountable for that."

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Parilla served more than two years in prison for several offenses, including drug charges, and was released in March. He was listed as a fugitive for violating his probation. It wasn't immediately clear what the violation was.

The sheriff said Parilla told investigators that when he saw the officer he "felt like a caged rat" and didn't want to return to prison.

"I apologize to the family" of the officer, Parilla told media outlets while being escorted to jail. "That was not my intention."

Kondek, 45, had been with the local force for 17 years. Originally from New York, Kondek previously served on the New York City Police Department for more than five years, authorities said.

Kondek was the father of six children; the Tampa Bay Times reported that "Charlie K" worked the midnight shift so that he could watch his 15-year-old daughter Aleena's soccer practices and travel with her wherever she played.

Aleena had just gotten her learner's permit and her father was teaching her how to drive, the Times added. When Gualtieri met with Kondek's family early Sunday, he said speaking to Aleena was the most difficult.

"The worst thing in the world was sitting there talking to that 15-year-old," Gualtieri told the Times, "and having her tell us that she was daddy's girl."

Kondek left behind a wife, Teresa, and their five children, ages 15 to 26, the Times reported, adding that Kondek also had a child from a previous marriage.

This story has been updated.