Man Dead, Officer Injured in Fort Lauderdale Hotel Shooting

In a tragic incident at a Holiday Inn Express hotel in Fort Lauderdale, a man has died and an officer has been hospitalized following a police-involved shooting. The incident, which occurred on Friday morning, led to a heavy police presence surrounding the hotel on SE 17th Street approaching SE 15th Avenue.

According to Fort Lauderdale Police Chief William Schultz, the incident unfolded when a text message was sent to 911 at around 7:39 am, reporting a suspicious incident. The caller claimed to have killed someone inside his hotel room. When officers attempted to make contact with the suspect, shots were fired at them. The officers then exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who subsequently barricaded himself inside the room.

Responding to the scene, a SWAT team made entry and discovered the suspect dead inside the room. No other individuals were found present during the shooting. The cause of the suspect's death will be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

During the incident, one officer was struck by gunfire and was transported to Broward Health Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Another officer sustained minor injuries unrelated to gunfire, receiving on-site treatment by Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Both officers are adult males.

In total, three Fort Lauderdale Police officers discharged their duty weapons in response to the incident. As per standard procedure, all three officers will be placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.

Authorities are currently in the process of notifying the next of kin before releasing the identity of the deceased suspect. However, officials have confirmed that he was a local resident, not a hotel visitor.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will carry out a thorough investigation into the incident. As more details emerge, updates can be found on WSVN.com and 7News.

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