Fort Pierce Police Involved in Shooting – NBC 6 South Florida

A man died after a shootout with police in Fort Pierce Saturday morning.

Fort Pierce Police officers responded to a possible shooting in the area of ​​North 24th Street and Avenue I, where they found a victim who had been shot.

While treating the victim, officers heard several gunshots nearby and attempted to locate the person who fired the weapon, authorities said.

Officers encountered 28-year-old Bernard Smith in the 1600 block of North 25th Street. According to police, Smith was armed and officers exchanged gunfire with him.

Smith was killed in the shootout; No officers involved were injured.

Several Fort Pierce police officers and deputies from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office searched the area and located two additional shooting victims, Fort Pierce police said in a Facebook post.

Aside from Smith, police confirmed that two of the victims succumbed to their injuries and the third victim remains in serious condition at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital.

The names of the victims have not yet been released.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officer-involved shooting, while Fort Pierce police are handling the criminal investigation.

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave per Fort Pierce Police Department policy, authorities said.

“This is something officers face all the time, the dangers they have to face on the road,” said Fort Pierce Police Maj. Michael Santiago. “Fortunately, our highly trained officers were able to stop this outbreak of violence before it got any worse.”

This remains an active investigation.

Fort Pierce Police ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Detective Jesse Love at 772-302-4790. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can contact Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-(800)-273-8477.