Kissimmee Police Shooting: 2 Officers Killed, Suspect In Custody

KISSIMMEE, FL — Two Kissimmee Police officers were shot Friday night in what Chief Jeffrey O'Dell said may have been an ambush. Officer Matthew Baxter died following the shooting. Sgt. Sam Howard who was in grave, critical condition succumbed to his injuries Saturday afternoon, police said.

A 45-year-old man was in custody early Saturday morning. Everett Miller, a Marine veteran, now faces a first-degree murder charge for killing Baxter, 27. Additional charges for the shooting of Howard, 36, are also likely, the Associated Press reported.

During a Saturday press conference, O'Dell explained that Baxter was "checking out" three suspicious people. Miller was one of them. A scuffle between Baxter and Miller reportedly ensued. Howard, Baxter's sergeant, arrived as backup, the AP reported.

The scuffle broke out around 9:27 p.m. Aug. 18 in the area of Palmway and Cypress, O'Dell said. Within minutes, 911 calls began to come in about officers down.

Officers responded and found two of their own gravely injured, O'Dell said. Both were transported to the hospital where Baxter later died.

"This is a tough time in law enforcement," O'Dell said. "I would ask that you pray for the men and women of law enforcement."

O'Dell said the two officers were fired upon and didn't have a chance to respond. Neither officer was wearing a body camera.

Miller was tracked down at a bar and brought into custody by Osceola County Sheriff's deputies, the AP reported. While it was initially thought more people may have been involved in the attack, O'Dell now says no further arrests are expected.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Central Florida and the Tampa Bay area took to Twitter Friday night to express their grief and condolences.

Gov. Rick Scott also expressed his condolences over Twitter Friday night.

The fatal shooting in Kissimmee occurred shortly before two Jacksonville Sheriff's officers were shot Friday evening. The two officers in that incident were both alive as of early Saturday morning. The suspect in the case was shot by police and died later at a hospital.

Earlier this year, Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton was shot and killed while trying to bring a murder suspect into custody. The accused shooter in that case, Markeith Loyd, was wanted in connection with the shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Image via the Kissimmee Police Department's Twitter feed