Police officers in Florida shot six rounds at a rifle-wielding man at Daytona Beach. The police sprung into action after a Popeyes worker called 911 to report that the man had tried to carjack her. After asking the suspect numerous times to put the rifle down, officers opened fire at him, until he fell on the ground.
The incident took place on Monday at Daytona Beach, Florida. At around 8:00 a.m. when the woman employee at Popeyes was waiting outside the restaurant to open, the suspect appeared with his rifle, in an attempt to steal her car. The woman fought the man and fled from the scene and went to a nearby Wawa store, from where she called 911.
Man Alerted Six Times
The suspect was spotted near the Walgreens and Wawa gas station. Video footage released by the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) showed an arriving officer telling him to put his gun down, at least six times. But, he pointed the gun at the officer who then shot the first round. A sergeant then arrived at the scene, shot several rounds until the suspect fell on the ground. He was later seen being handcuffed.
A total of six shots were fired by the officer and the sergeant, according to a statement released by the DBPD. It is still being investigated whether the suspect fired his weapon. Paramedics were then called and he was taken to the Halifax Health Medical Center. He underwent surgery and is expected to recover from his injuries, according to the statement issued by DBPD Chief Craig Capri.
Capri said he is proud of his officers for the way they acted. "They were very professional. They did their jobs", Capri told reporters present at the scene. Although he said that it was unfortunate that the suspect was shot, it was not the officers who started it all. "The suspect escalated this incident. We tried to escalate," he told the reporters.
None of the officers were injured in the incident. The officer and sergeant involved in the shooting have been sent on a paid administrative leave till the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigates the incident. This is standard in officer-involved shootings, according to the statement released by the DBPD. Identities of neither the suspect nor the two police officers involved have been disclosed.
