Police: Officer Feared For His Life During Burglary Suspect Shooting
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HALLANDALE BEACH (CBSMiami) -- People living in a quiet waterside neighborhood of Hallandale Beach had an abrupt awakening Sunday morning.
Police closed part of Golden Isle Drive as they searched for a suspected burglar and shot another.
"I see somebody running and I heard the pop, pop, pop, pop," described resident Billy Courtney. "And so I said, 'oh, something's going on.'"
Someone called police in the middle of the night to report suspicious people looking into cars with flashlights. At least two men were breaking into cars and stealing stuff inside.
"Money, credit card, sunglasses," one man told CBS4 as he inspected his damaged BMW. The thieves smashed the windows. "I am very surprised. Very surprised."
When police arrived they saw and approached a car with two suspicious-looking men. One ran away. The other drove off.
The officer fired his gun several times and hit the driver, identified as 27-year-old Michael Eugene Wilson, Jr. His suspected accomplice, 23-year-old Tyler L. Shuman.
"He was in fear for his life and the lives of others in the area," Police Major Sonia Quinones said about the officer. "And he felt forced and he had to take action and fire his weapon and save himself and the lives of others."
Wilson then crashed the car he was driving. He died at the hospital.
Meanwhile, police shut down part of Golden Isle Drive as they searched for Shuman by boat, by air and with K-9's. They finally found him hiding in a nearby condo building.
The neighborhood remained an active crime scene for several hours, well into sunrise. It kept residents from coming or going home and shook up many on a typically quiet Sunday morning.
"A lot of commotion. A lot of yelling from the cops," described resident Sondra Schulz. "'Go back home, get inside your house!' And that's the scary part. You're like, 'oh my god they could be coming into my building. We live in a very nice neighborhood and this is kind of unexpected."
As of Sunday afternoon police were still interviewing the officer who fired his weapon.
