Collier County, Hendry deputies fatally shoot barricaded suspect

Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
The Rook, a Collier County Sheriff’s Office vehicle, after being shot by a barricaded suspect in Hendry County. Credit: CCSO

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office and Hendry County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the fatal shooting of a barricaded suspect on Monday after a 12-hour standoff in Hendry County.

According to HCSO, a call came at around 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon from a property owner reporting a man had entered a home on his property and was refusing to leave. The suspect was reported to have a variety of weapons with him. CCSO says it sent negotiators and tactical teams to the Thorpe Road property, divided between Collier and Hendry counties, assist HCSO with the suspect.

CCSO negotiators spent several hours hailing the suspect and deployed different types of special equipment and tactics to safely resolve the situation, but to no avail. The situation stretched into Monday. The suspect shot at CCSO equipment multiple times, even taking down a drone and targeting the protective safety vehicles at the scene.

The front end of CCSO’s law enforcement hostage rescue and tactical vehicle, called “the Rook,” can be seen heavily damaged in an image provided by CCSO. The Rook was used to deliver non-lethal gas inside the building where the barricaded suspect was firing from earlier. A CCSO deputy was at the wheel when the Rook approached the building and the suspect targeted its windshield and armored frame. The deputy was uninjured due to the high-quality armor of the vehicle.

The suspect soon exited the building while firing at law enforcement, who immediately returned fire and fatally injured the suspect. CCSO says no deputies were injured and there were no bystanders or civilians involved or endangered.

CCSO says it is deferring to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and HCSO for any questions or details about the incident, as it occurred in Hendry County. It tells WINK News that, in accordance with agency policy, the deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave, pending a preliminary administrative review. CCSO’s Professional Responsibility Bureau will conduct the administrative review to determine if policies, procedures and training were followed.

FDLE has taken the lead in the investigation.

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