A Florida man was shot dead by law enforcement personnel after he killed one other individual and injured two police officers during a violent engagement.
Local authorities said that the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when police officers responded to a domestic disturbance call. During a news conference, Palm Bay Police Chief Mariano Augello said that the two law enforcement personnel then encountered an armed 24-year-old man when they arrived at the residence.
In a news release, police officials said that the suspect, identified as Brandon Kapas, refused to comply with law enforcement personnel's orders. Shortly after their initial encounter, they were involved in an exchange of gunfire. The shootout between officers and the suspect left the former injured as the latter fled the scene.
The release added that additional officers then responded to the area and pursued the suspect who fatally shot another person before engaging with law enforcement personnel and subsequently being shot dead, as per CNN.
The police chief noted that their officers did what they were trained to do, which was to neutralize and stop a threat to the community. Augello added that the suspect was killed after he engaged the police officers "with lethal force."
Law enforcement officials have not yet publicly named the fatal victim or the two injured police officers. The latter were shot and are being treated at a "local hospital - they are going to survive," said Augello.
In the police news release, they said that their heartfelt thoughts and prayers were with the families involved in the horrific incident and to the families of the officers. In a statement, Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina said that he was saddened when he was informed about the tragic events in the beloved city.
The latest incident comes less than a week after a Florida man spiraled into a murderous rage after trying to pursue a romantic relationship with his 17-year-old daughter. The suspect reportedly shot dead a woman and injured his mother and the teenager, according to the New York Post.
Florida Shooting Incidents
The man, identified as 42-year-old Michael Banks shot and killed his mother's friend, injured his mother, and hurt his teenage daughter at the family's Tampa home on Wednesday last week. He said that his family tried to stop his romantic pursuit of his own daughter and he opened fire on police officers who responded to reports of gunfire.
During a shootout between Banks and police officers, law enforcement personnel did not hit the suspect, who later surrendered and was taken into custody. A pre-trial detention motion that prosecutors filed accused the suspect of turning to violence after overhearing his mother and her friend talking about kicking him out of the family home.
A separate shooting in Florida involved a therapist who specializes in anger management and was accused of fatally shooting a homeless man and hiding the body in his car's trunk. Police from Deland, Florida, said that the suspect, 46-year-old Travis McBridge killed 51-year-old Clinton Dorsey.
During an investigation, police found Dorsey's body in McBridge's 2916 Nissan Versa hatchback. After law enforcement personnel tried to interview the suspect despite the allegations against him, he asked for an attorney before talking about the situation, said NBC News.
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