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Two law enforcement officers are hospitalized with gunshot wounds and a gunman is dead after a string of crimes culminated in a shootout on Florida's Turnpike at rush hour Thursday.
The FBI said the incident began earlier in the day when the gunman was involved in a car jacking in Miami-Dade county and a robbery at a Pembroke Pines barber shop in which shots were fired, followed by a second car jacking. But when he crashed into another car near Hollywood Boulevard, he met the two officers, who separately stopped at the wreck to render aid.
"We believe that following the accident the suspect left the vehicle and began looking for other vehicles to assist his getaway," said FBI spokesman Timothy Donovan.
Off-duty Key Biscayne Police officer Nelia Real was shot in the neck or face around 5:30 p.m.; she is reportedly in critical but stable condition.
"We are very fortunate," Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press told NBCMiami. "It appears that the wounds have missed all of the vital organs based on the information that the doctors have just provided me."
An Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officer was also shot in the shoulder, but an agency spokesperson said his injuries were not life-threatening.
The incident brought the turnpike to a halt in both directions; terrified motorists including Marlins catcher Brett Hayes and former NFL player Twan Russell tweeted from the scene as the gunman walked through traffic and then dozens of responding police gave chase.
"He was just walking, he looked very calm, just strolling down the middle of the road," a witness said.
"He had on all black. He had dreads. He had a 9 millimeter in his hand, and he pointed it at me," driver Tremellody Penson told WSVN.
According to the FBI, the suspect then shot and killed himself on the highway in front of motorists.
Traffic was snarled for hours after the incident, and the turnpike shut down in both directions until sometime between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday morning as police investigated the scene.
A third police officer broke her leg in a crash while responding to the shootings. All three injured officers are being treated at Memorial Regional Hospital.
UPDATE: The FBI has identified the shooter as David Edwin Bradley, 23, of Miami Gardens.