BULLETIN: Ambush Attack Leaves Florida Deputy Dead
BULLETIN: A Leon County sheriff’s deputy has been shot and killed in what authorities are calling an “ambush.”
Early reports suggest the following circumstances:
- A house in northwest Tallahassee, the state capital, was set ablaze.
- The deputy was a first-responder and was shot and killed at the scene of the fire by the person who set the fire.
- The person who shot the deputy took the deputy’s gun and fired shots with it in the neighborhood, striking another deputy.
- Other law-enforcement personnel at the scene shot and killed the suspect.
Video of remarks by Sheriff’s Department at scene:
Statement by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office:
_______________________________________________
Deputy Sheriff Shot and Killed Responding to House Fire
At 10:15 a.m. on November 22, 2014, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Tallahassee Police Department and the Tallahassee Fire Department responded to a house fire at 3722 Caracus Court. As the deputies arrived on scene first, the suspect launched an armed ambush attack. One deputy was immediately shot and killed. The other deputy engaged the suspect and was shot also.
The suspect took the fallen deputy’s firearm and began walking North on Caracus Court actively shooting at the first responders as they arrived on the scene.
Responders from the Tallahassee Fire Department were also shot at by the suspect as they arrived to fight the fire. Tallahassee Police Officers responded to the area and engaged the suspect, shooting him and killing him.
Multiple agencies have responded to the scene and are assisting with this investigation as it continues to unfold. Members of the Tallahassee Police Department, the Tallahassee Fire Department, Leon County Emergency Medical Services, the State Attorney’s Office, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
This incident is still active and on-going.
The media conference scheduled for 7:00 p.m. this afternoon has been canceled. It has been rescheduled for 12:00 p.m. in the Citizen’s Academy Room at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, November 23, 2014.
_______________________________________________
Source: http://www.leoncountyso.com/docs/default-source/news-releases/deputy-sheriff-shot-and-killed-responding-to-house-fire.pdf?sfvrsn=4
Patrick
Quick notes: With respect to the alleged ambush nature of the attack near Tallahassee, the circumstances appear to be similar to an incident that occurred near Dallas in August. In that incident, officers and firefighters allegedly were lured into an attack:
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/2014/08/dallas-police-anti-government-corinth-gunman-said-he-wanted-to-occupy-house-in-far-north-dallas.html/
The suspect in the Dallas-area attack is Douglas Leguin.
The Tallahassee-area incident also is reminiscent of an attack that occurred in Webster, New York, on Christmas Eve 2012. In the Webster attack, William H. Spengler allegedly set a house on fire and then ambushed firefighters/first responders as they arrived. Two firefighters were killed, two were wounded, and Spengler’s sister is presumed to have burnt to death in the house.
Six houses burned to the ground:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Webster,_New_York_shooting
Of course, what occurred in Tallahassee yesterday also comes directly on the heels of multiple shootings on the campus of Florida State University last week. So, a campus attack in one area, and an attack on police/firefighters in another.
In September, two Pennsylvania state troopers were ambushed outside their rural barracks during a late-night shift change. The alleged shooter there now has been charged with terrorism.
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pa-eric-frein-search-warrant-20141121-story.html
Then, there were ax/hatchet attacks on police in New York City and Washington, D.C.
https://patrickpretty.com/2014/10/24/now-a-hatchet-attack-on-new-york-city-police-officers/
https://patrickpretty.com/2014/10/31/washington-d-c-police-officer-allegedly-ambushed-at-3-a-m-by-ax-wielding-man-who-escaped/
Patrick
Tallahassee.com (The Tallahassee Democrat), sourcing the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, has identified the slain deputy as Christopher L. Smith, 47.
The deceased suspect has been identified as Curtis Wade Holley, 53.
LCSO spokesman Lt. James McQuaig said “there is evidence that Holley planned the attack and fire to kill as many first responders as possible,” Tallahassee.com reports:
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/2014/11/23/lcso-to-give-update-on-ambush-shooting/19444479/
Patrick