BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A woman is in stable condition after being shot by a Brevard County deputy who was responding to reports of a vehicle burglary on Wednesday afternoon, according to Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
Ivey said deputies were called to the Palm Shores area, near the intersection of U.S. 1 and Roberts Road, for a car burglary in progress around 1 p.m.
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Arriving deputies observed a man and a woman who immediately ran off, according to the sheriff.
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“The female was armed with a firearm which she held up in the air brandishing and showing the law enforcement officer she had it,” Ivey said in a video statement.
Deputies said they set up a perimeter after seeing the man and woman run into the woods nearby.
Melbourne police arrived with a dog and assisted deputies as they entered the woods to search, Ivey said.
After a short search aided by the sheriff’s office’s STAR aviation unit, law enforcement said they saw the man and woman lying on the ground and gave them repeated commands to come out.
“At one point, our deputies felt that their lives were in immediate danger because of the firearm that the female had. They fired. The female was struck multiple times,” Ivey said.
The woman is listed in stable condition at the hospital, deputies said. The man was taken into custody without incident.
Investigators did not release the identities of the man or the woman. In a news release, the sheriff’s office said a records check revealed the man and woman were “wanted,” but offered no further details regarding what for.
The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which will be conducted by the sheriff’s office until its findings are submitted to the 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, the release states.
This is a developing story. Check back with News 6 for the latest updates.
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Note: This map depicts the general area of the shooting and not necessarily its exact location.
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