MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A woman is in critical condition after she was shot by a Marion County deputy when she tried to run into a hospital with a gun early Tuesday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said deputies tried to conduct a traffic stop around 1:20 a.m. on SW College Road. on the woman who was speeding, according to an arrest affidavit.
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Officials said a pursuit began when the woman fled the scene. The Ocala Police Department assisted deputies to try to stop the vehicle.
During the pursuit, the sheriff’s office said the woman called 911 to say she was driving to the hospital and she was suicidal. Deputies said they saw the woman had a gun and was pointing it toward her head.
The pursuit stopped at AdventHealth when the woman parked her car near the entrance of the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies told the woman to stay in the car, but she eventually got out with the gun and started running toward a hospital entrance.
Officials said the woman was told repeatedly to stop before one shot was fired by a deputy, striking the woman. She is being treated at the hospital in critical condition.
The sheriff’s office said no deputies or officers were hurt during the pursuit or shooting.
If the woman is released, the sheriff’s office said she will face charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer while armed with a firearm and possession of a firearm during commission of a felony. Officials said she was on pretrial release for possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
AdventHealth officials said their ER is currently open and their ambulance bay is open for emergency crews.
“As soon as we were aware of the potential danger at our hospital earlier this morning, we initiated our safety protocols, and a lockdown went into effect to keep our teams and patients safe,” AdventHealth officials said in a statement Tuesday.
The shooting is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.