One-half of the criminal couple nicknamed "a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde" was shot by police following a standoff early Friday morning, according to The Huffington Post. Blake Edward Fitzgerald, 30, was killed as a result of the confrontation.
Police engaged in a high-speed chase with the pair late Thursday night in the Florida Panhandle, which culminated in gunfire at approximately 12:30 a.m. Friday morning. They had attempted to enter a residential home but were met by police, leading to an exchange of gunfire between Fitzgerald and authorities, according to NBC News.
Fitzgerald reportedly used his girlfriend and partner in crime, 30-year-old Brittany Nicole Harper, as a human shield against police gunfire. Harper was wounded during the shooting but was not significantly injured. Authorities did not confirm whether Fitzgerald was the first to pull a weapon or whether Harper was armed at the time of the shooting, NBC News noted.
Fitzgerald and Harper have been wanted for their part in a spate of kidnappings and robberies across U.S., starting last week in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where they allegedly stole a car and kidnapped a hotel clerk, Reuters reported. After abandoning their hostage, the couple reportedly broke into a residential property in Vestavia Hills and took a woman hostage before stealing her car.
The pair is then suspected of taking another hostage in a convenience store in Perry, Ga., and committing several additional robberies around cities in Florida on Wednesday. After Harper leaves the hospital, she will be arrested and charged with false imprisonment, grand theft auto and home invasion robbery.
Escambia County Sherriff David Morgan told reporters that it's possible that Fitzgerald and Harper were intending to go to Panama City and get married, according to NBC News. Morgan also warned against glamorizing the pair as "Bonnie and Clyde" after their story grabbed media attention.
"That only encourages people to be copycats," Morgan told reporters at a news conference. "There's nothing glamorous about death. There's nothing glamorous about taking hostages."
