MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – New details were released Friday after two Miami-Dade police officers were shot Wednesday night while conducting an investigation at a home in southwest Miami-Dade, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 10:40 p.m. in the 22000 block of Southwest 162nd Avenue.
According to police, people were squatting inside the home and as the officers approached the front door, they were confronted by a man who was armed with a shotgun.
Sources have identified the shooter to Local 10 News as 52-year-old Christopher Bailey.
Police said he shot at the officers, who returned fire.
According to authorities, a 35-year-old male officer was shot in the arm, while a 57-year-old male officer was shot in the arm and face.
Police confirmed that both officers were transported to Jackson South Medical Center by fellow officers. Both are listed in stable condition.
A 40-year-old female officer was also transported to the hospital to be evaluated for a leg injury that wasn’t sustained by gunfire.
“They’re doing what they do each and every day, keeping our community safe,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
Police said the suspect, whose identity was not immediately released, was also struck by gunfire and was pronounced dead at the scene by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
“This type of violence towards my officers will not be tolerated,” Director Stephanie V. Daniels said. “By the grace of God, they are alive today.”
Police confirmed that the 35-year-old officer has been with the police department for seven years. The 57-year-old officer has been with MDPD for 15 years and the 40-year-old officer has been with the department for 11 months.
“We owe them a great deal of gratitude and we are all grateful that they came out of this one alive,” Levine Cava 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,” Daniels said.
Douglas Alan Beard, a property owner in southwest Miami-Dade, told Local 10 News Friday that he believes Bailey moved in with a “crew” of others for about five to seven days before Wednesday’s incident.
Beard said he didn’t know Bailey but said the group was very “organized” in how they took over the vacant house.