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Hendry County sheriff's deputy shot, taken to hospital in stable condition

Posted at 1:43 AM, Mar 10, 2017
and last updated 2019-03-27 12:17:58-04

A Hendry County sheriff's deputy was shot in the line of duty Thursday night at a store on Kentucky Avenue in Clewiston.

Investigators say after Deputy Jayson Moorehead was "ambushed" he was rushed to a trauma center where he was listed in stable condition just after midnight.

“We are very fortunate he wasn't seriously injured," Hendry County Sheriff Steve Whidden said in a statement.

Capt. Susan Harrelle initially told WFTX-TV that a "person of interest" was being questioned early Friday morning.

The sheriff's office later described the person as a man who may have information about the shooter.

 

According to investigators, at about 10 p.m., Hendry County deputies responded to the M&M Store at 944 Kentucky Ave.

They said Moorehead was speaking with someone when the shooter fired four times, hitting Moorehead in the upper left arm.

A Hendry County spokesperson said Moorehead recently graduated from the police academy and had only worked with the agency for six months.

Anyone with information is urged to call the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office at 863-674-5600 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477).