Republished August 30, 2020 - 10:54 AM
Original Publication Date August 30, 2020 - 8:51 AM
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A Florida suspect was shot dead by police after he opened fire on officers serving a warrant for his arrest, officials said.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri said one of the officers was shot in the chest but was wearing his bulletproof vest and was expected to recover soon. Another officer tripped running around in the shootout and injured his head.
The suspect was 44-year-old Michael Harris, who was wanted in connection with a shooting involving a woman earlier this month.
Capri told reporters at a press conference that it was unfortunate that police had to take a life, but said “the suspect dictated that.”
"The suspected fired at officers first, and we defended ourselves. And I can tell you if you pull a gun on a police officer to shoot a police officer you are going to get killed. As simple as that,” Capri said.
In a body camera video released by the Daytona Beach police, officers appear to arrive at an apartment and ask a woman about the suspect. They open the door with their weapons drawn and someone appears to close the door of a bedroom in the back of a hallway as they enter the residence.
“Hands. Hands," the officer is heard screaming before he kicks the bedroom's door down and says “hands” one more time before a man in an orange T-shirt appears to fire at him.
The officer appears to momentarily lose his balance but continues shooting and at one point says, “I'm hit.” After a few minutes, the officers go into the bedroom, and a body is seen on the floor lying in a pool of blood.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shootout.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020