A Fort Lauderdale cop was in stable condition Thursday after being shot, and a suspect was dead after a gunfire exchange with police.
The suspect had called authorities around 7:30 a.m. to report he’d committed a murder in his hotel room near Port Everglades, police said in a briefing. After fruitless communication attempts, three officers entered his room at the Holiday Inn Express, but he shot at them, barricading himself inside.
A gunfire exchange ensued, and a SWAT team was called, said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz, according to WFOR.
When the SWAT team got into the room, the suspect was found dead and alone. It’s unclear which bullet hit him.
The officer who was shot is expected to recover. Another officer was treated at the scene for minor injuries that were not gunshot wounds, police said.
Police released a terse statement Thursday morning while law enforcement swarmed the area, essentially bringing the vicinity to a stop for hours.
“Our officer was shot and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries,” Fort Lauderdale police said on X. “This is NOT an active shooter. The suspect is accounted for, and more information will be released shortly.”
Rattled guests at the Holiday Inn Express Fort Lauderdale Cruise Airport described activities abruptly halted as they found themselves ushered into safe spaces and put on lockdown.
“We were waking up to have breakfast at the hotel, and staff pushed everyone into an event room,” hotel guest Alexis Boettcher told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I came downstairs. They told me there was an active shooter and I couldn’t go back in the building.”
The hotel is about two miles from the cruise terminals at Port Everglades, where one entrance was closed. A spokeswoman told the Sun-Sentinel that only one ship was docked there at the time of the shooting and that passengers were entering and exiting via other port gateways.
Officers flocked to the hospital to show support for their wounded comrade, parking their cruisers all along the street and flashing their lights, according to WTVJ.
The three officers involved were put on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated, as per protocol.
