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Fort Lauderdale police officer shot inside hotel, suspect found dead

Officers respond to Holiday Inn Express near Port Everglades, exchange gunfire with man, police chief says
A police officer in the back of an ambulance after a shooting at Southeast 17th Street and Southeast 15th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale on March 21, 2024.PNG
Posted at 10:13 AM, Mar 21, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-21 17:08:18-04

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Fort Lauderdale police officer was released from the hospital after being shot Thursday morning at a hotel in the area of Port Everglades, authorities said.

Police Chief Bill Schultz said officers responded to a Holiday Inn Express, located at 1500 Southeast 15th Ave., at about 7:30 a.m. after a man called 911 and said he had killed someone inside a hotel room.

Fort Lauderdale police investigate an officer-involved shooting at a Holiday Inn Express, located at 1500 Southeast 15th Avenue, on March 21, 2024.jpg
Fort Lauderdale police investigate an officer-involved shooting at a Holiday Inn Express, located at 1500 Southeast 15th Avenue, on March 21, 2024.

Officers went to the room and tried to make contact with the man, but were unable to.

"We entered the room," Schultz said. "Shots were fired at the officers at that time. Our officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect, at which time the suspect barricaded himself in that same room."

WATCH: Fort Lauderdale police give update on officer-involved shooting

Fort Lauderdale police give update on officer-involved shooting at Holiday Inn Express

A SWAT team later entered the room and found the man dead. Police later identified the suspect as Karl Chludinsky, 46, of Margate.

"As a result of the shooting and no one else that was located inside the room, the cause of death will now be determined as part of the [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] investigation," Schultz said.

The chief said a Fort Lauderdale police officer was shot and taken to Broward Health Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Police have not released the officer's name but said they are expected to make a full recovery.

A second officer was also injured, but not shot, and was treated at the scene.

Three officers who opened fire on the man will be placed on administrative leave during the investigation, which is standard protocol when an officer fires his or her weapon.

A police officer in the back of an ambulance after a shooting at Southeast 17th Street and Southeast 15th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale on March 21, 2024.PNG
A police officer in the back of an ambulance after a shooting at Southeast 17th Street and Southeast 15th Avenue in Fort Lauderdale on March 21, 2024.

The Holiday Inn Express is located roughly one block from the Broward County Convention Center and entrance to the highly popular Port Everglades.