A man wanted on a felony warrant opened fire on bail bondsmen trying to arrest him at a Wesley Chapel apartment complex early yesterday, critically wounding one of them and later firing on deputies who forced their way inside behind a ballistic shield. The suspect, 29-year-old Henry Josena, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after a tense standoff that trapped a third civilian inside the unit with him.
According to FOX 13 Tampa Bay, the Pasco Sheriff's Office identified Josena as the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant tied to his failure to appear in court on felony lewd and lascivious charges out of neighboring Hillsborough County. That warrant is what brought three bail bondsmen to The Enclave apartments in the first place, according to Tampa Free Press, which reported the bondsmen arrived around 12:58 a.m. Wednesday to serve the warrant when Josena opened fire, critically injuring one of them. A second bondsman managed to help his wounded colleague escape and called 911, setting off the emergency response.
A Trapped Civilian Forces Deputies' Hand
A third bail bondsman remained trapped inside the apartment with Josena, according to the same FOX 13 report, creating an active hostage situation that pushed deputies to make entry rather than wait out the standoff. As reported by Tampa Free Press, deputies advanced into the apartment behind a tactical ballistic shield that deflected multiple gunshots Josena fired at them, preventing what could have been fatal injuries. Two deputies still sustained minor injuries from flying shrapnel during the exchange.
Tampa Bay 28 similarly reported that two Pasco County deputies were injured after being shot at by a suspect while responding to a call for service, according to officials, and that deputies returned fire, per Tampa Bay 28. PCSO officials told that outlet the two deputies suffered only minor injuries. Sheriff Chris Nocco had announced he would hold a news conference at approximately 4 a.m. to address the incident, Tampa Bay 28 noted.
Confusion Inside as Brother Is Briefly Detained
The scene inside the apartment grew chaotic once deputies ordered the suspect to surrender. Reporting by IONTB noted that Josena's brother emerged from a room first and was briefly handcuffed before officers quickly determined he was not the wanted man. Deputies then had to clear the apartment further to locate Josena himself.
To do that without exposing themselves to more gunfire, deputies deployed pepper-ball gas and flew an indoor tactical drone into the room, according to a statement from the Pasco Sheriff's Office. The drone located Josena dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and deputies never fired a shot during the entire encounter. Investigators later recovered an assortment of firearms from inside the apartment, including shotguns, rifles, and handguns, the Tampa Free Press report noted.
Bondsman Hospitalized, Footage Shielded by State Law
The trapped bondsman was evacuated without injury, and the critically wounded bondsman was hospitalized and is expected to survive, according to the Pasco Sheriff's Office statement. Body-camera footage recorded during the apartment entry cannot be publicly released, the sheriff's office said, citing Florida State Statute 119.071, which exempts video captured inside private residences from public disclosure.
The ambush adds to a string of violent confrontations facing Pasco County law enforcement this year. In March, a Pasco County deputy was shot and wounded during a confrontation with an armed homicide suspect during a property dispute before deputies returned fire, according to Police1. That earlier shooting came just months after a New Port Richey deputy shooting and a fatal Land O' Lakes incident this summer, both of which drew scrutiny of the department's encounters with armed suspects.
