Bradenton Man Killed During Police SWAT Operation

A 56-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday morning when a member of the Bradenton Police Department’s SWAT team opened fire while officers were serving a high-risk search warrant.

Police said officers arrived at a home near Martin Luther King Boulevard around 9:40 a.m. to carry out the warrant. During the operation, a SWAT officer noticed a room inside the residence with a closed door and relayed that information to another officer positioned outside the home.

SWAT officers then forced entry through a window and encountered a man later identified as William Tyrone Bell standing beside a bed while holding a firearm. According to police, officers issued multiple commands for Bell to drop the weapon.

Authorities said Bell did not comply with the commands, and a SWAT officer fired a shot. Bell was struck and later died from the gunshot wound.

Residents in the neighborhood said they were shocked to learn about the incident and had not heard any commotion earlier in the morning before the police activity.

The officer who fired the weapon has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure following an officer-involved shooting. The incident remains under review.