VERO BEACH, Fla. — A U.S. Marshal was injured and a suspect was hospitalized after a shooting Monday night near Vero Beach involving deputies from two counties and a federal officer, the Indian River County Sheriff's Office said.
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The shooting occurred at 8:29 p.m. at the intersection of 12th Street and Commerce Avenue.
Officials said they were conducting a tactical takedown of a suspect who had a warrant out of Colorado. When officers moved to take the suspect into custody, shots were fired by the suspect. Officers returned fire.
A U.S. Marshal was struck in the leg and taken to the hospital. The marshal is expected to be okay. The male suspect was also struck and transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff's office.
Three Indian River County Sheriff's Office deputies, two Martin County deputies and one U.S. marshal were involved in the shooting.
“We don’t work joint operations like this unless we’re tracking down really bad guys and that’s the scenario we have here," said IRCSO Sheriff Eric Flowers. "This is a bad guy that did not want to go to prison. Our team did exactly what they’re trained to do.”
The Indian River County Sheriff's Office said the names of all individuals involved will be released at a later time.
The Indian River County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are jointly investigating the shooting.
“We did review body camera and nearly they were clearly in a real gunfight out here," said MCSO Sheriff John Budensiek.
Drivers should expect closures on 12th Street overnight as detectives remain on scene.
WPTV reached out to the School District of Indian River County for information on how the investigation could affect school operations, and received this response:
"The School District of Indian River County is aware of the law enforcement activity in the area of 12th Street and Commerce and has been in communication with local authorities regarding traffic impacts.
Bus routes that would have been affected were proactively rerouted this morning. There was no impact to the first tier of student arrivals at nearby schools, and campuses opened and operated on their normal schedules.
Families traveling through the area may wish to allow additional time and follow posted detours as law enforcement continues its work. The District will continue to monitor the situation and adjust as needed to ensure student safety and timely transportation."
This is a developing story. Stay with WPTV for updates.
