At Least One Officer Dead After Two Police Shootings in Florida

Four police officers were shot in two separate shootings in Florida late Friday night. One officer died from his injuries and two others are in critical condition.


Two police officers in Kissimmee, Florida, were investigating a suspicious persons report shortly before 9:30 p.m. EDT Friday, Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said at a news conference early Saturday. About five minutes later a shooting was reported, and other officers responding to the scene found the wounded policemen.


O’Dell said Officer Matthew Baxter has died from his injuries and Sgt. Sam Howard is in “grave, critical condition.”


“And the prognosis does not look good,” O’Dell added.


According to the Kissimmee Police Department’s Twitter feed, O’Dell said the shooting “looks as though it may have been an ambush.”




President Donald Trump tweeted condolences to the Kissimmee Police Department early Saturday morning.


According to The Associated Press, three suspects are in custody and a fourth is being sought.


Meanwhile, two officers were shot responding to a call in Jacksonville, Florida, about 150 miles north of Kissimmee.


One of those officers is in critical condition and the other is in stable condition. Police shot and killed the suspect in that shooting.