Two officers in Florida were murdered in what appears to have been an ambush, another two were wounded in a separate shooting in Florida and two additional officers were wounded in Pennsylvania, one critically.
According to NBC News, Kissimmee police officers Sam Howard and Matthew Baxter “were checking suspects in an area of the city for drug activity when they were shot.” The attack on Howard and Baxter was launched in such a way that neither officer had an opportunity to return fire.
Both officers were killed. Officer Baxter, 27-years of age, died immediately and Officer Howard, a father of four, died later in the hospital.
Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said evidence so far points to it being an ambush.
In a separate shooting in Jacksonville, officers responded to calls of a suicidal individual. The person allegedly opened fire on them once they arrived. Both officers were wounded but able to return fire, killing the suspect.
Officers Michael Fox and Kevin Jarrell were shot with the assailant only feet away from them.
For Fox, an 11-year veteran of the Jacksonville police force, this was his second shooting incident. Jarrell is a three-year veteran.
In Pennsylvania, two Fayette County State Troopers took gunfire after stopping a suspect with “an outstanding warrant.” ABC 6 reports that the troopers approached the suspect, who allegedly “pulled a gun from a backpack and fired shots.”
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At least one of the troopers was able to return fire, killing the suspect.
Both troopers are expected to survive. One officer received a wound in the hand and was treated and released from the hospital. The second officer was shot in the abdomen and is classified in critical condition.
