Man, 19, shot, wounded by deputies in Gifford after running from car with gun
GIFFORD — A 19-year-old man was shot “several times” by Indian River County shierff's deputies Saturday night after authorities said he ran with a gun from a car that had been stopped for questioning about an earlier incident of gunfire.
The man was in stable condition Sunday at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce. Deputies did not disclose his identity, but Sheriff Eric Flowers said he is a convicted felon who was out on probation.
Flowers addressed the media shortly after 11:30 p.m. Saturday at 30th Avenue and 45th Street in Gifford, just east of where the vehicle had been stopped at 31st Avenue.
“Our detectives were actively watching this vehicle that was known to be involved in that (earlier gunfire incident) and also known to be involved in some burglaries that were occurring in our community,” he said.
Flowers said four deputies had been place on paid administrative leave. Reviews are underway of bodycam and dashcam footage of the shooting, which he said occurred in two locations along 45th Street.
The events leading up to the shooting began Saturday morning, with reports of a "flurry of shots" fired around 2 a.m. in the 4500 block of 38th Avenue.
Deputies tracked the car they believed to be connected to the shots early Saturday and followed it from the home where the gunfire was reported, Flowers said. Around 9 p.m., the car was stopped at 31st Avenue and 45th Street, he said.
“These guys were known to be armed,” Flowers said. “(Deputies) identified there was a rear occupant who was in possession of a firearm (and) they told the occupant do not touch the gun — leave it there.”
As the three other people were being taken from the car, “the passenger-side occupant grabbed the gun and took off,” Flowers said.
Deputies first fired as the man ran from the car with a gun, and again as he ran east along 45th Street and into a carport, Flowers said. The man was struck several times, he said, and wounded. He was then taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital.
From roughly 10:30 p.m. to midnight, several people watched from the roadside as dozens of deputies blocked off access points to 45th Street, where crime scene investigators worked between 32nd and 30th avenues.
The scene was tense, with people in a convenience store parking lot at 45th Street shouting, "(Expletive) the police."
Shortly after Flowers’ appearance a woman who said she was the mother of the 19-year-old and a man rushed past crime scene tape with screams of, “Who shot my son?” and “Where’s my son?” Deputies pushed them back.
Flowers said the three other people in the car were being held for questioning.
“Our folks definitely did their job. They protected the community and we’re going to continue to investigate this," Flowers said.
Saturday evening's shooting came two days after a homicide a quarter-mile west of the scene, in the 4500 block of 33rd Avenue, where a man in his 20s was shot and killed.
Officials have not released information about the man, and said the investigation is ongoing.
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Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 19-year-old shot 'several times' after running from car with gun
