Police officer in Florida fatally shoots alleged car burglar
HALLANDALE, Fla. -- A Hallandale Beach police officer fatally shot a man they said tried to flee from authorities while they were investigating reports of car burglaries.
Police were called early Sunday after reports of possible car break-ins and a suspicious person looking into cars with a flashlight in a residential neighborhood filled with condos. Police found two men sitting in a car. The driver, 27-year-old Michael Eugene Wilson, attempted to speed away and Major Sonia Quinones said the officer fired at least one round. Wilson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Quinones said the officer feared for his life and was forced to fire his weapon. The Sun Sentinel reports Wilson's car had several bullet holes in the driver's side door and that spray-painted markings on the street indicated at least eight shots were fired.
"I see somebody running and I heard the pop, pop, pop, pop," described resident Billy Courtney to CBS Miami station WFOR. "And so I said, 'oh, something's going on.'"
The second suspect, 23-year-old Tyler Shuman, jumped out of the car, but was caught a few hours later after a manhunt involving several local police agencies and a helicopter.
Police did not release the identity of the officer but said in an email that Wilson was black. According to court records, he had an extensive criminal history including arrests for drugs, grand theft and aggravated assault.
The officer will be placed on administrative leave with pay while the investigation continues. Shuman is in custody and police said in a statement that charges are pending and that they found evidence of several car break-ins.
"You're like, 'oh my God they could be coming into my building," a nearby resident Sondra Schulz told WFOR. "We live in a very nice neighborhood, and this is kind of unexpected."
This is the second police-involved shooting in South Florida in three days.
On Thursday, a veteran Miami-Dade detective working a narcotics investigation shot and killed a 22-year-old black man during a brief confrontation after authorities say the victim grabbed a gun from his waistband and the officer opened fire. The officer's race was not released.