BSO: Suspect Killed In Police-Involved Shooting In Lauderhill
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LAUDERHILL (CBSMiami) -- An encounter with a man allegedly behind the wheel of a stolen car led to Lauderhill Police opening fire on the man inside an apartment complex on Friday afternoon and left the suspect, Demaris Turner, dead, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
The Broward Sheriff's Office, which was asked by Lauderhill Police to take over the investigation, says Lauderhill Police were tracking a stolen car in the Summit Palms apartment complex when Turner climbed behind the wheel.
"The suspect once he was inside they tried to apprehend the suspect and that's when he rammed the K-9 vehicle," said BSO Spokesperson Veda Coleman-Wright. "The K-9 vehicle is fully marked."
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Investigators say one Lauderhill Police officer opened fire on the suspect's car, killing Turner. Video from Chopper4 showed that the the car windows were shot out. Investigators say Turner was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. BSO says Lauderhill Police believed Turner was using the vehicle as a weapon and feared for their lives. However they do not believe Turner returned fire.
"At this point, we do not believe the suspect fired any shots," Coleman-Wright said.
Court and prison records show that Turner has a lengthy criminal history dating back to at least 2002. His stepfather, Darnell Hamp, told reporters that he had a few brushes with the law and that Turner's mother is grieving.
"Like any other mother, (she's) hysterical," Hamp said.
Investigators say the K-9 officer involved in the crash suffered a minor injury and was treated at the hospital and released. The officer's dog was taken to an animal hospital to be treated for a rib injury.
CBS4 News asked BSO if they recovered any weapons in the suspect's vehicle or on the suspect. We were told that they did not have that information available this evening.
BSO says they do want to hear from any witnesses. If you have information about what went happened, call the Broward Sheriff's Office.
