SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A Special Response Team officer will be OK thanks to his bulletproof vest after, police said, he was injured during an overnight shootout with a fugitive, who was fatally gunned down, in Southwest Miami-Dade.
7News cameras captured the body of the 56-year-old suspect being taken away from a home in the area of Southwest 255th Street and 147th Avenue, Saturday morning.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the shooting took place at around 1:30 a.m.
Investigators said the department’s Homicide Task Force and U.S. Marshals responded to the sighting of a fugitive who was wanted out of North Carolina for an officer-involved shooting.
“This violent fellow was living amongst us in our community,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez.
Investigators said the suspect was tracked down to his home in Southwest Miami-Dade, where he barricaded himself and refused to surrender.
“After long negotiations and failed attempts for the subject to surrender, an entry was made, at which time there was an exchange of gunfire with the subject,” said Ramirez. “The subject struck one of our SRT officers in his tactical vest. Thank goodness that he’s OK. It did not penetrate his skin, and the subject is deceased on the scene.”
Officers had returned fire, shooting and killing the subject.
Fortunately, Ramirez said, the SRT officer who was hit was wearing his bulletproof vest.
“If it wasn’t for that kind of equipment, we’d be having a different conversation,” he said. “Thank goodness for the grace of God that our officer’s going to be OK. No injuries. He’s fine.”
Police were seen hauling away several bags of evidence, but the investigation is being turned over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Crime scene investigators have spent the entire day at the scene. Cameras captured officers and police vehicles at the scene just after 5 p.m.
The scene was finally cleared about a half hour later.
Miami-Dade Police have not released the names of the officer involved nor the deceased fugitive.
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