FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a woman accused of shooting a teenage boy and an elderly man, sending them to them to the hospital, in Fort Lauderdale.
Fort Lauderdale Police and Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene along Southwest 13th Street and 29th Avenue at around 8:22 a.m., Tuesday, after receiving reports about a shooting in the area.
“A whole bunch of shots, sounded like about six or eight,” neighbor Joe Smariga said. “It can happen anywhere, and it’s unfortunate.”
According to police, arriving officers heard gunshots in the area and found a woman armed with a firearm in the front yard of a residence.
“Officers immediately encountered a female suspect with a firearm,” said Fort Lauderdale Police Assistant Chief Frank Sousa. “They gave her orders to drop that firearm at which time she complied.”
Officers took the woman into custody before they were approached by two victims who had been shot. Police later learned the woman helped disarm the suspected shooter, identified as Gwendolyn Whitfield Dorsey.
The two victims, a 16-year-old boy and an elderly man, were transported to Broward Health Medical Center.
“One of those victims has been transported to Broward General Medical Center with, what appears to be, non-life-threatening injuries at this time,” Sousa said. “We do have another victim that is critical in nature right now.”
The elderly man has since been treated and released from the hospital.
7SkyForce HD hovered over the active scene where officers could be seen outside of the home where the shooting occurred. SWAT team members searched the home but did not find any additional victims.
Police believe the shooting stemmed from a domestic incident but continue to investigate.
“We do have children on scene,” Sousa said. “There were other family members that we did recover from within the residence. They’re safe, and they’re obviously with our officers at this time.”
Whitfield Dorsey has since been charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and remains behind bars at the Broward County Jail.
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