Police officer shot, suspect dead after Saturday morning gunfight in Sneads, Florida

A police officer is injured and a man is dead after a Saturday morning gunfight in Sneads.

Michael Miller, the chief of police for the small Jackson County community about 50 miles northwest of Tallahassee, took to social media to announce the incident.

A little after 8:15 a.m. Saturday, an officer with the Sneads Police Department was dispatched to "some kind of disturbance call" on Mckeown Mill Road as backup to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

"Upon arrival, the Sneads Police Officer and Jackson County Sheriffs’ deputy made contact with the complainant when the suspect appeared and engaged in open fire," the chief wrote.

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A shootout ensued and the officer was hit and the suspect was killed, Miller told the Tallahassee Democrat from the hospital, where the officer is in stable condition.

The suspect was identified as a 42-year-old man, but no other information was released about the officer or suspect's identity "in considerations of the families involved."

Local TV station WMBB reported that the officer sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

The station quoted Jackson County Sheriff, Donnie Edenfield, who said the officer was transported by EMS and air lifted to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

The sheriff also told WMBB that because the shooting involved an officer, the investigation has been turned over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Police chief Miller said he didn't want to provide any other information about the case until FDLE can conclude its investigation.

"We're calling for prayers and thoughts for the officer," he said. "There's no risk to anyone else in the public because the suspect is deceased."

Reach Editor William Hatfield at whatfield@tallahassee.com.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Police officer shot after Saturday morning gunfight in Sneads, Florida