Sunrise police officer, attempted murder suspect injured in Fort Lauderdale shooting
MIAMI - An officer with the Sunrise Police Department is hospitalized after he was shot in the leg and wounded in Fort Lauderdale while trying to take an attempted murder/carjacking suspect into custody. That suspect was also struck by gunfire.
Police have not released the officer's name, but they tell us he underwent surgery today and is expected to fully recover.
The incident led to a massive response by law enforcement officers after one of their own was hurt. A witness who spoke to CBS News Miami spoke about the moment she heard gunfire from the shooting.
"Pop, pop, pop, pop! Real loud," said Magnolia Carrion. "And that's when I figured somebody was shooting a real gun!" .
According to police, a Sunrise officer was near the 200 block of NW 22nd Street around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, looking for a carjacking and attempted murder suspect identified as 31-year-old Romuliss Hicks.
Police say there was a confrontation between the officer and Hicks and that's when shots were fired.
"I jumped up and ran behind that pick-up truck and I laid down and I asked my son to come down and lay on the ground with me," said Carrion.
The bullets struck both the officer and Hicks.
"I see the police on the ground, terrible," said witness Juan Vidal Carrion.
First responders were on the scene in minutes.
"Both were transported by Fort Lauderdale fire rescue to Broward Health Medical Center. Both are said to be in stable condition at this time," said Casey Liening with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Florida's Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting.
According to his arrest warrant, on December 30, Hicks got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend, who's the mother of his infant daughter.
The warrant says as the victim approached the stairwell to access their second-floor apartment, she was surprised to find Hicks hiding on the landing between the first and second floors.
The victim, startled, ran back to her car and Hicks chased after her. As the victim attempted to open her car door, Hicks pulled the keys from her hand and knocked her to the ground.
The warrant goes on to say once the victim was on the ground on her right side, Hicks stood directly over the top of her, brandished a black semi-automatic handgun, and discharged no less than two rounds straight down at her, striking her in her upper arm and shoulder.
Hicks is facing several charges including carjacking and attempted murder. During a court appearance on Wednesday, he was denied bond.