Search on for Suspect who Killed 2, Wounded Fla. Deputy, 2 Others

An armed suspect remains at large as of early Friday, Feb. 7, after killing two people and wounding three others, including a sheriff’s deputy, in the Florida Panhandle, investigators say.

The man is believed to be on foot, prompting a warning for people in parts of Suwannee County to stay indoors.

Investigators say the crime spree includes a deadly gas station robbery Thursday, Feb. 6, in Gadsen County, a police chase in Columbia County, and a shootout with deputies in Suwannee County.

Gadsen and Suwannee counties are about 110 miles apart.

Residents in the Live Oak area of Suwannee County were urged to “shelter in place” early Feb. 7 as the manhunt continued, the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. Live Oak is about an 80-mile drive southeast from Tallahassee.

“We’ve had a deputy involved shooting in the area. ... Our deputy was shot, but is OK,” the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office said.

“The suspect, who is wanted for homicide in another county, is still on foot. We have multiple law enforcement assets in the area searching for the suspect.”

Gadsen County Sheriff Morris A. Young said the man shot four people while robbing a Mobile gas station in Quincy, and two died, according to a news release posted at 12:31 a.m. on Feb. 7.

The suspect’s vehicle was then spotted by law enforcement in Columbia County, which prompted the gunfight with deputies, Young said.

“A pursuit by FHP, Columbia and Suwannee sheriff’s offices led to the driver crashing,” he said.

“The driver then fired on the officers, striking a Suwannee County deputy. The deputy’s body armor minimized the impact of the shot, which resulted in non-life threatening injuries to the deputy.”

The man escaped the crash scene on foot, Young said.

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