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Deputies cleared in fatal shooting of man in cape

The state attorney rules that two deputies were justified in the fatal shooting of a man who was shooting at them.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published January 5, 2006

Two veteran Pinellas County sheriff's deputies were justified in killing a shoeless man in a cape who shot at them alongside a busy North Pinellas road on Nov. 9, the state attorney has ruled.

Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe found Deputy David Webb and Cpl. Kent Johnson were "in the performance of their lawful duties" when they shot James Guy Lambert.

Lambert, a former Largo resident who lived in New Port Richey, had opened fire at them outside the Grey Oaks subdivision along East Lake Road, just south of the Pinellas-Pasco county line.

Lambert, 34, and the two deputies traded at least two dozen shots. Neither deputy was injured in the exchange, authorities have said.

"Deputy Webb heard at least one of the bullets ... come so close to his head that it caused loud ringing in his ears," McCabe wrote last month in a letter released Wednesday.

An autopsy showed Lambert was hit by three shots. Examiners also determined Lambert had a "very high level" of cocaine in his system, which could explain his erratic behavior, McCabe wrote.

The deputies "had every reason to be justifiably in fear for their lives and the lives of others," McCabe wrote.

A Sheriff's Office shooting review board also cleared the deputies, determining they had both followed agency policy.

The morning of the shootout, Webb stopped across from the subdivision about 8:20 a.m. to investigate Lambert's red Ford Ranger, which was abandoned on the east side of East Lake Road, authorities said. Webb then heard a series of gunshots and drove into Grey Oaks, where two residents flagged him down.

As Webb, 47, got out of his cruiser to talk with the residents, he saw Lambert walking toward him, wearing a cape but no shirt or shoes, authorities said. Lambert started firing a .40-caliber Glock handgun at the deputy, who took cover behind his cruiser.

One bullet entered the windshield of the deputy's 2000 Ford Crown Victoria at forehead level. Two others struck the hood and the radiator, disabling the car. Still another round hit the rear tire of a white Pontiac Grand Am that a babysitter was driving out of the subdivision, authorities said.

Webb called for backup and returned fire with his .45-caliber Glock handgun, authorities said. Johnson, 49, arrived and ran to Webb's cruiser with a .223-caliber carbine rifle.

Both deputies shouted at Lambert to put the gun down, but he continued to fire, authorities said. Johnson shot him twice, knocking Lambert to the ground.

Authorities had not been able to explain why Lambert stopped his red Ford Ranger in front of the Grey Oaks subdivision. Inside the truck were clothes, blankets and food.

Lambert grew up in the Whispering Pines mobile home park in Largo in a home headed by a single mother, according to friends.

Records show Lambert was fired from his job as a utilities technician for the Pinellas Park water maintenance division in October 2000. He hadn't shown up to work for four straight days.

He owned and operated Extreme Tree Trimming in New Port Richey.

Last year, Lambert was arrested in Tarpon Springs on charges of possessing cocaine and marijuana, but prosecutors decided not to pursue the case, records show.

Neither Johnson, who has been with the Sheriff's Office for 27 years, nor Webb, who has worked with the agency 21 years, had been involved in a previous shooting. Both have returned to active duty.

[Last modified January 5, 2006, 01:18:19]