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Two South Florida police officers were hospitalized after a shootout with a shotgun-wielding squatter on Thursday (January 18), according to NBC 6.
Officials said the Miami-Dade officers responded around 10:40 p.m. to a home in the 22000 block of Southwest 162nd Avenue, which is located in a rural neighborhood in southwest Miami-Dade County. When the cops approached what appeared to be an abandoned house, a man confronted them with a shotgun, police claim.
Authorities said the gunman opened fire and the policemen shot back at him. One of the officers, 35, was reportedly shot in the arm and the second officer, 57, was struck in his arm and face.
Both of them were rushed to Ryder Trauma Center Jackson South, and a 40-year-old officer was taken for a medical evaluation. Officials said the officers are in stable condition.
"This is unacceptable. It is by the grace of God that the officers are still alive," Miami-Dade Police Director Stephanie Daniels said. "I'm so thankful that I did not have to go and knock on the doors of the officers' families to tell them that their loved one was not coming home today."
The alleged gunman, who hasn't been identified, was killed during the shooting, according to police. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue pronounced him dead at the scene.
The owner of the home told NBC 6 they called the cops about the squatter, adding they're grateful the policemen are okay.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the incident under standard protocols.