Local Crime and Public Safety

Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya says two officers were shot and wounded Wednesday while attempting to stop a suspect who had just fatally shot a person at a nearby lumber yard in a busy business district of Gainesville, Florida. As the suspect tried to leave the area during rush-hour traffic, he allegedly ambushed the responding officers, who returned fire and killed him. One officer was hit in the arm and the other in the leg; both were taken to a local hospital and are expected to make a full recovery, and police say there is no ongoing threat to the public. Investigators have not yet released the names of the suspect or the homicide victim, and detectives are still probing the motive, though Moya said there was a 'clear intent' to harm the victim. The incident will feed into ongoing state and national scrutiny of rising ambush-style police shootings and department tactics in busy civilian areas.