Sunrise officer remains in hospital after being shot by suspect during arrest
The Sunrise Police officer who was shot in the leg Tuesday by a suspect, who was also shot, during an attempted arrest in Fort Lauderdale remained in the hospital Wednesday but is expected to recover, police said.
Officers were attempting to arrest Romuliss Jarquives Hicks, 31, shortly before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 200 block of Northwest 22nd Avenue in Fort Lauderdale on an active warrant for allegedly shooting his girlfriend on Saturday before stealing her car and fleeing, according to the warrant.
Sunrise Police Officer Victor Fortune told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Tuesday afternoon that during the investigation, the suspect shot the officer in the leg. Multiple officers shot back, hitting him, he said.
The police department in a news release late Tuesday did not clarify how the shooting occurred, saying only that “during the apprehension” a detective and suspect “were struck by gunfire.” As of Wednesday evening, police had not released additional information about how the shootings unfolded.
The injured officer, who has worked with the department’s Strategic Investigations Unit for about 10 years, was expected to undergo surgery, Fortune told the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday afternoon. He said the department could not release details of the shootings because the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.
Both Hicks and the officer were in stable condition when Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue took them to Broward Health Medical Center on Tuesday.
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokesperson said in an email Wednesday afternoon that they do not identify officers, witnesses or suspects while their investigations are active.
Hicks was held in the Broward Main Jail as of Wednesday evening on charges stemming from the Saturday shooting. He is accused of firing at least two shots at his girlfriend, who he has a child with, after the two had been arguing on Friday, according to the warrant. She survived.
The woman left their shared home with their infant after their argument, but when she returned to get supplies for the baby, Hicks was hiding in a stairwell, the warrant said. Hicks is accused of shooting the woman in her upper arm and shoulder blade while standing over her, having knocked her to the ground as she attempted to run away, according to the warrant.
It was not known Wednesday night what charges Hicks may face from Tuesday’s shooting. In the Saturday shooting, he is facing one count of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, carjacking with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, jail records show. He was on felony probation for prior crimes at the time of both shootings.
Sun Sentinel staff writer Shira Moolten contributed to this report.
