Friday, September 14, 2007

UPDATE: Manhunt Under Way After Gunman Shoots 4 Florida Police Officers, Killing 1


CUTLER BAY, Fla. — "A gunman shot and killed a Florida police officer and injured three others Thursday, prompting a massive manhunt and a lockdown of several Miami-area schools, officials said.

Shawn Sherwin Labeet, 25, wearing a bullet-resistant vest, fired a high-powered weapon and fled the scene after officers approached his vehicle for a traffic stop, according to police.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez, a former police officer, said the "extremely violent" suspect "assassinated" a police officer.

"We need to find him as soon as possible and make sure that he's behind bars, where he belongs," Alvarez said.

Click here for photos.

Police seized a car with a man, woman and two children in connection with the investigation, said Miami-Dade Police Department spokeswoman Linda O'Brien.

O'Brien said Labeet was last seen in neighboring Broward County in that car — a black four-door 2007 Pontiac Vibe with tag number W59-EPT.

Labeet was already wanted on an existing arrest warrant for aggravated assault in Broward County, O'Brien said.

A family friend of Labeet misled police and gave false information that helped Labeet get a step ahead of police looking for him, O'Brien said.

Police first reported Kevin Wehner as the suspect, but corrected that to Labeet as the investigation unfolded, saying Wehner was not involved in the incident.

Click here for the story on WSVN.com.

Helicopters, police officers and search teams combed the surrounding area for any signs of Labeet.

"Every moment that he is out there is too long," Robert Parker, spokesman for Miami-Dade Police Department, told FOX News.

The three injured officers are in serious condition, but are expected to survive, said a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Police Department.

Police described Labeet as a black male with a shaven face and short hair. Authorities said he left his Honda near a canal. Police found facial hair in his apartment, indicating he shaved his face.

The suspect purchased three high-powered weapons in March, police said.

The Honda will be examined for any type of evidence that could help find the suspect, said a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The officers were conducting burglary surveillance detail when they noticed a white Honda Accord being driven erratically at the entrance to a local neighborhood. When police stopped the vehicle, the driver shot the four officers and fled, authorities said.

"Truly this is a sad day for Miami-Dade County," Alvarez said at an afternoon news conference. "It’s gut-wrenching. It makes you sick to your stomach."

Police were urging residents to lock their doors and stay inside as police dog units and SWAT team members hunted the suspect."

DEATH to the low life SOB who did this, but the yellowstream media is either parroting what the police are telling them, or have decided on their own to call one of the most low-powered .30 caliber rifles...an AK 47...a high-powered weapon. Not that most police officers know this, they are after all "trained" to believe that anything that breaks the skin is high-powered but in all fairness this is not the case.

I sincerely hope they find him, he struggles to escape, and they fill this cretin with enough lead to re-sink the Andrea Doria. Now is not the time to discuss the pitiable tactics that led to an officer's death, but you will NOT hear of this anywhere else so I'm obliged to at least mention it in passing. One man out-shooting 4 means a pooch was royally screwed.

So Here's The Update...

"Dozens of officers from police departments across South Florida had been searching for 12 hours for the suspect, who investigators identified as Shawn Sherwin Labeet, 25. Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez said Labeet was found shortly before midnight Thursday in a Pembroke Pines apartment complex about 30 miles north of the initial shooting scene.

"There was an exchange of gunfire and the subject was shot and killed," Alvarez said.

The officers were conducting burglary surveillance in the Cutler Bay area of southern Miami-Dade County when they stopped the man because he was driving a car erratically, police spokeswoman Linda O'Brien said. The man opened fire with a high-powered weapon without warning and fled. It was not immediately clear whether the officers returned fire.

Labeet, who may have been wearing a bulletproof vest, fled in his car, which was found abandoned 5 miles away, officials said. An AK-47 assault rifle was found inside, Alvarez said. It wasn't immediately known if it was the weapon used in the shooting."

Now it seems the suspect "may" have been wearing some sort of body armor, and in the real world that translates out to mean that during the initial exchange of gunfire the officers shot and missed then said that it sure seemed the guy was taking some hits but wouldn't go down. "Not immediately clear" if the officers returned fire is just another attempt to make it appear they weren't fiddle frigging around and got smoked by someone who was ready willing and able to provide a hard solution.

And dollars to doughnuts he was using a semi-auto AK clone that hardly qualifies as an assault rifle, but neither the police nor the media would happen to know this and get a pass for being asked questions outside of their area of expertise.

Also, the original report of the 3 remaining officers being in serious condition was another mistake, as one did need surgery for a leg wound but the other 2 were treated then released. Shooting THIS Messenger could turn into a fulltime job so we'll call it a day and say it's a shame, cough, that they couldn't take him alive although they probably tried really really hard to.

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