Knife-wielding woman fatally shot by Lauderhill officer during confrontation, police say
LAUDERHILL - A woman with a knife was shot by a Lauderhill officer early Friday afternoon and died at a hospital, police said.
The officer was forced to fire his weapon after being threatened by her at the Magestic Gardens apartment complex at 4045 NW 16th St., Lt. Antonio Gonzalez said. It is protocol to fire a weapon when an officer's life is in jeopardy, Gonzalez said at a news conference.
The unnamed woman was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale where she was pronounced deceased, Gonzalez said.
The officer had no visible injuries but was taken to the medical center as standard protocol.
Gonzalez said the woman appeared to "over 20" and it wasn't known if she lived at the apartment complex.
The incident was on the north side of the complex and there were witnesses, Gonzalez said.
At approximately 12:25 p.m., officers responded to a call for service in which only first name and location were provided. The call disconnected before further information could be obtained.
The first responding officer arrived on the scene at 12:32 and he reported over police radio that a woman was armed with a large knife and charged at him.
The officer then transmitted an additional message: "Shots Fired."
"All of a sudden I heard a loud gunshot, a bang on the door and I'm thinking there's a war zone in the hallway and I'm hearing a lot of commotion all of a sudden," a neighbor who calls himself Lifestyle told CBS News Miami. "My wife said somebody got shot."
Cellphone video shows paramedics performing CPR.
Gonzales said he didn't know how many shots were fired.
"At this point, we don't know exactly his initial confrontation with that female once he arrived on scene," Gonzalez said. "Those are still details that need to be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement."
The officer, who has been on the force for three years, will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation.
Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward.
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