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Kissimmee Police Shooting Leaves One Officer Dead, Another Gravely Wounded Kissimmee Police Shooting Leaves One Officer Dead, Another Gravely Wounded
(about 2 hours later)
A police officer was shot to death and another was seriously wounded Friday night in Kissimmee, Fla., in what the police chief said may have been an ambush while the two men were responding to a call complaining of suspicious activity on the city’s north side.A police officer was shot to death and another was seriously wounded Friday night in Kissimmee, Fla., in what the police chief said may have been an ambush while the two men were responding to a call complaining of suspicious activity on the city’s north side.
The officers were found around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Palmway and Cypress Streets after residents reported the shooting, Chief Jeffrey O’Dell said. It was one of three cases on Friday night in which six law enforcement officers were shot in Florida and Pennsylvania.
In Kissimmee, about 20 miles south of Orlando, the officers were found around 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Palmway and Cypress Streets after residents reported the shooting, Chief Jeffrey O’Dell said.
One of the officers, Matthew Baxter, who had been on the force for three years, later died. The other, Sgt. Sam Howard, a 10-year veteran, was reported to be in critical condition “and the prognosis does not look good,” Chief O’Dell said.One of the officers, Matthew Baxter, who had been on the force for three years, later died. The other, Sgt. Sam Howard, a 10-year veteran, was reported to be in critical condition “and the prognosis does not look good,” Chief O’Dell said.
Everett Glenn Miller was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, Chief O’Dell said at a news conference on Saturday morning. He was being brought to jail in Officer Baxter’s handcuffs, the chief said.Everett Glenn Miller was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, Chief O’Dell said at a news conference on Saturday morning. He was being brought to jail in Officer Baxter’s handcuffs, the chief said.
The shooting in Kissimmee, about 20 miles south of Orlando, occurred during what Chief O’Dell called a “consensual encounter to get out and check.” The shooting occurred during what Chief O’Dell called a “consensual encounter to get out and check.”
“Nobody was being placed in handcuffs,” the chief said. “If all things checked out, the officers would have been on their way.”“Nobody was being placed in handcuffs,” the chief said. “If all things checked out, the officers would have been on their way.”
Chief O’Dell said officers are often called to North Kissimmee. Residents, he said, “get tired of putting up with some of the drug dealing and nonsense that goes on in the neighborhood.”Chief O’Dell said officers are often called to North Kissimmee. Residents, he said, “get tired of putting up with some of the drug dealing and nonsense that goes on in the neighborhood.”
He added, “And we’re doing our part to try to keep them safe, and then we have this tonight.”He added, “And we’re doing our part to try to keep them safe, and then we have this tonight.”
Gov. Rick Scott released a statement in response to the shooting. In a statement, Gov. Rick Scott said: “My heart breaks for Matthew’s family. May Matthew’s service and the service of our law enforcement community be a constant reminder of the sacrifice of those who serve to keep us safe.”
“Today, I join every Floridian to honor these law enforcement officers, their brothers and sisters in uniform, and their families,” he said. “My heart breaks for Matthew’s family. May Matthew’s service and the service of our law enforcement community be a constant reminder of the sacrifice of those who serve to keep us safe.”
President Trump weighed in on Twitter early Saturday morning: “My thoughts and prayers are with the @KissimmeePolice and their loved ones. We are with you!”President Trump weighed in on Twitter early Saturday morning: “My thoughts and prayers are with the @KissimmeePolice and their loved ones. We are with you!”
The Kissimmee shooting was the first of two attacks on Florida police officers Friday night. Two sheriff’s officers in Jacksonville were wounded when responding to a suicide call, officials said. The Kissimmee shooting was the first of two attacks on Florida police officers Friday night. Two sheriff’s officers in Jacksonville were wounded when they responded to a call about a man making threats to hurt himself and others, officials said.
The officers were shot around 11 p.m. on the city’s west side as they responded to a call about an attempted suicide, said Mike Bruno, director of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. The officers’ names were not released; one was said to be in critical condition and one in stable condition. The gunman, identified as Derrick Brabham, 25, fired at them with a semiautomatic rifle around 11 p.m., Sheriff Mike Williams said at a news conference on Saturday.
When officers arrived at the scene of the reported suicide attempt, they were confronted by a man with a rifle, while three people hid in a back bedroom, Mr. Bruno said. In the ensuing gunfire, one of the officers was shot in the hands and one in the stomach. The police believe Mr. Brabham, who was killed during the altercation, had been drinking, Sheriff Williams said.
The gunman was killed, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The three people hiding in the bedroom were not injured, Mr. Bruno said. The officers, Michael Fox, an 11-year veteran of the force who was undergoing surgery for hand injuries, and Kevin Gerald, who was alert and “in good spirits” despite having been shot in the stomach beneath his protective vest, were both in stable condition, Sheriff Williams said, adding that it’s “a long road back for both of them.”
A police shooting was also reported Friday night in Fairchance, Pa., where two State Police troopers were shot in their car in a supermarket shopping center, according to ABC News and WXPI-TV in Pittsburgh. Rifles are designed to be shot at a long distance, Sherriff Williams said, and body armor cannot stop the velocity of a round.
The troopers, who were not identified, were in stable condition, with one airlifted to a hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., and a suspect was killed, WXPI reported. The gunman’s girlfriend and their 19-month-old baby were in the house, in addition to the girlfriend’s mother and a family friend. Nobody else was injured.
“No doubt in my mind that they saved those women’s lives,” Sherriff Williams said of the officers.
In Fairchance, Pa., on Friday two State Police troopers were shot during a burglary investigation.
The troopers, who were in plainclothes, arranged to meet the gunman, identified as Clarence A. Belsar III, 26, after he agreed to sell them a PlayStation console that was believed to have been stolen, Capt. Joseph D. Ruggery said during a news conference on Saturday.
When the troopers identified themselves as police officers, Mr. Belsar tried to flee, and a struggle began as the troopers tried to arrest him, Captain Ruggery said. Mr. Belsar reached into his waistband and pulled out a .38 caliber revolver and fired one round at the troopers, striking one in the left hand and the second in the abdomen.
The troopers, who were not identified, then shot Mr. Belsar, who died at the scene, Captain Ruggery said.
One of the troopers was released from the hospital, the captain said. The other was in critical condition and was expected to survive.