Teen suspect shot by Indian River County deputies after being warned not to go for his gun
In the early morning hours of June 12, Sheriff Eric Flowers with the Indian River Sheriff’s Office headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida, announced that one person is in the hospital after an officer-involved shooting in the Gifford community Saturday night. Three others involved in last night’s shooting are in custody.
You can see Flowers address the incident here on Facebook Live.
The suspect who was shot, is alive and in stable condition at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. Flowers said that the suspect, a 19-year-old convicted felon who was on probation at the time of the shooting, is currently cooperating with detectives.
The shooting occurred around 9 p.m. when deputies attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle believed to be involved in a shooting incident in the wee hours of Saturday morning, as well as other crimes in the community. The traffic stop happened near 45th Street and 30th Avenue.
A passenger in the vehicle was told not to grab a gun that was seen in the vehicle, but he did and attempted to flee. Deputies then opened fire on the suspect.
“They told the occupant, ‘Do not touch the gun. Leave it there,'” Flowers said. “They were slowly removing people from the vehicle. At that time, the passenger-side occupant grabbed the gun and took off.”
That’s when deputies opened fire, shooting the 19-year-old man, who was a felon currently on probation, Flowers said. ~ WPTV
Four deputies are on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. The Sheriff’s Office is reviewing footage from body-worn cameras and dash-cams.
Flowers said that more information will be released when it becomes available. And not too long afterwrds, he went on Facebook Live to share updates.
This is the second shooting to occur in the Gifford neighborhood in the last few days. In the pre-dawn hours of June 9, an individual was shot and killed  in the 4500 block of 33rd Avenue in Gifford.
(Source: IRCSO)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
