Three Lake City police officers shot Friday afternoon by a rifle-wielding man while apparently trying to serve or enforce an injunction for protection are hospitalized in good condition.
Two officers were shot in the leg, while the third was shot in the arm, City Manager Wendell Johnson said he was told by Police Chief Argatha Gilmore.
The attack occurred about 1:40 p.m. after officers arrived outside the one-story home on Northwest Irma Avenue, said Sgt. Ed Seifert, a spokesman for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. The unidentified gunman remains barricaded in the home, which is surrounded by dozens of officers and deputies, Seifert said.
Johnson told the Times-Union that the chief told him the gunman was distraught over a custody case discussed during a court hearing this morning. The man was seen wearing camouflage and carrying multiple firearms as he entered the home of his estranged wife this afternoon, causing a neighbor to contact police, Johnson said.
Johnson said the officers went to the home apparently to service or enforce an injunction for protection that a judge had issued against the man.
The man came outside the home and shot the officers, Johnson said. Johnson identified the wounded as Sgt. Jason Byrd and Investigator David Greear, both 12-year veterans of the agency, and six-year veteran Officer Mitchell Cline.
The officers were flown to Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where a spokeswoman said they were in good condition. Johnson said the chief left the officers' sides in the late afternoon after visiting them at the hospital.
"They apparently are going to be just fine," Johnson said.
Seifert didn't have details on the gunman or the nature of the injunction, which is a restraining order used in domestic violence cases.
The home is in a residential neighborhood several blocks north of U.S. 90 near downtown. Seifert said Lake City residents are being warned to stay out of the area.
"Things are very fluid right now," Seifert said. "We are trying to make contact with the subject to speak with him. We are hopeful it will end peacefully."Marianne Whedbee, 78, lives several blocks south of the scene. She said roads are blocked off throughout the area and that crowds of people are standing around hoping to get a better view.Whedbee said that the cable was cut in her neighborhood about 4 p.m., though it's unclear if that was related to the standoff. She said she is staying home until the matter is resolved."If he was on the loose I might be a little more concerned," Whedbee said.
Officer.com Editor's Note: The Time-Union has reported that the standoff ended after seven hours when officers found the man dead after breaching the door.
Copyright 2011 - The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
