FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – A routine traffic stop turned fatal Tuesday afternoon when a Fort Lauderdale police officer shot and killed a man at a local gas station. The incident unfolded shortly after 3 p.m. at the Chevron station on Davie Boulevard, following an earlier attempt by police to stop the man at a different location.
Surveillance footage captured the tense moments leading up to the shooting, showing the suspect, whose identity has not been released, attempting to flee from officers. Police Chief Bill Schultz stated that the officers initially tried to pull over the suspect near Southwest 27th Avenue but later tracked him down at the gas station.
As the situation escalated, the man reportedly exited his vehicle holding what appeared to be a firearm. In response, a Fort Lauderdale officer discharged his weapon, striking the suspect. The man was subsequently transported to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses described the chaotic scene, with one local resident recounting the sound of multiple gunshots. “I heard about eight or nine rounds go off,” the witness said, visibly shaken by the events that unfolded so close to home.
The crime scene remained active for several hours, with detectives meticulously collecting evidence. Bullet casings littered the ground, and the suspect’s Mercedes was cordoned off with several evidence markers surrounding it before being towed from the scene.
“This kind of thing doesn’t usually happen around here,” another resident expressed, noting the unsettling nature of the incident. “It’s very disturbing to have it happen so close to where we live.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken over the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. Meanwhile, the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation.
As the community grapples with the aftermath, questions linger about the circumstances that led to the fatal encounter and the measures in place to prevent similar incidents in the future.