Published November 16th, 2021
A Gadsen County, Florida, deputy sheriff is recovering after being shot several times, twice in her ballistic-resistant vest, by a suspect she encountered in a stolen vehicle. While on patrol in a rural area of Gadsen County Tuesday morning at approximately 11:45 am, the deputy observed a vehicle matching the description of a reported stolen vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. The operator of the vehicle, later identified as a 38-year-old wanted felon, swerved into the deputy’s lane, striking her patrol vehicle head-on and forcing it off the road into a ditch. As the deputy was still in her vehicle, the suspect got out of the stolen vehicle and fired three shots at the deputy. All three shots struck the deputy, two of them impacting her ballistic-resistant vest. The suspect then fled on foot into a wooded area. The deputy was able to get out of her car and go to a nearby house, where the residents called 911 and assisted her until other deputies arrived on the scene. She was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. After a several hours long search of the wooded area, the suspect was located and taken into custody, and is now facing multiple charges related to the shooting of the deputy and theft of the vehicle. The deputy is expected to make a full recovery.
