SARASOTA, Fla. — A man who investigators say robbed a Sarasota bank over the weekend died during a shooting involving police officers near the New College of Florida.
The Sarasota Police Department confirmed William Pickett, 54, is the man who died Monday morning during the shooting incident in the area of University Parkway and U.S. Highway 41. It remains unclear, however, how Pickett died.
A warrant issued for Pickett's arrest details he walked into the Fifth Third Bank, located at 6265 N. Tuttle Ave., on Saturday, showed off a firearm and demanded $5,000. Bank employees provided at least $17,000 before Pickett ran off, police said.
Sometime on Sunday, police spoke with a woman who said her ex-boyfriend, identified as Pickett, gave her money from a bank robbery, the arrest warrant reads. Pickett made comments a couple of weeks earlier that he would rob a bank and confessed to the crime soon after it happened at a Super 8 motel where they met, the document continues.
The woman said Pickett "came to her residence and attempted to hide cash throughout her apartment. After he left her apartment, [the woman] located cash hidden inside a cereal box, box of tissues and a bleach wipes container."
Pickett did not work and he didn't have the means that would support him having that much money in his possession, the woman told investigators.
The suspected robber was to face charges of robbery with a firearm and grand theft.
Police said the Monday morning shooting happened after officers attempted to stop someone who had an active warrant in Sarasota County. The agency did not elaborate further.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has since taken over the case. The officers involved in the shooting have been put on administrative leave, per the agency's protocol.
Video from Sky 10 showed a car submerged in a pond in the area before it was pulled out of the water by a tow truck. While unconfirmed by police, it appears the car is related to the shooting investigation as it was hit by several bullets.