Fort Pierce police kill gunman after shootings that left two others dead

FORT PIERCE — A gunman was shot dead by police Saturday morning after a shooting spree in Fort Pierce that left two other people dead and a third seriously wounded, police said Saturday evening.

Bernard Smith, 28, of Fort Pierce, was fatally wounded in an exchange with Fort Pierce police following a series of 911 calls about a shooting victim in the area of North 24th Street and Avenue M just after 11 a.m., police said in a news release on Facebook.

Officers responding heard gunshots nearby and tried to find the gunman. Police said they found Smith in the 1600 block of North 25th Street near Avenue P, and exchanged gunfire.

“They eventually found a gentleman that was armed, and they stopped the threat,” Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney said earlier in the day. “My officers were involved in that; my officers are safe.”

Joined by deputies from the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, police searched the area and found two more shooting victims who later died of their injuries. “We also found, during the course of this, there was a carjacking and then there was a victim found inside of the house in the 2400 block of Avenue P,” Hobley-Burney said.

One of the three shooting victims was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in serious condition. Police did not disclose the names of any of the other people shot in the incident, nor did they reveal any motive for the shooting.

Officials with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office are assisting with an investigation. “There are so many scenes right now, and we're trying to tie it in together because our investigation will show that,” she said.  “But we want to make sure our community was safe before we did anything, and that is the case.”

She said the scene was “contained” Saturday and the public was not at risk.

Investigators worked from an open field marked with yellow crime tape across from a two-story residential building facing North 25th Street to piece together what happened Saturday.

“It's a sad day for our beautiful city and we're working hard,” Hobley-Burney said. “It just shows the courage of these officers and I'm extremely proud of them. But I also saw the toll it took on them.”

Larry Croom, police spokesman, confirmed that any officers who fired a weapon will be placed on administrative leave with pay as the investigation continues. Chief Assistant State Attorney Steve Gosnell confirmed a prosecutor and a State Attorney’s Office investigator were at the scene working with law enforcement.

“We understand at this point that an officer, or officers, possibly discharged their weapons,” he said. “We are conducting our own investigation parallel with the investigation that's being conducted by the Fort Pierce Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.”

He said if a fatality results from an officer discharging a firearm, the state will present a case to a grand jury to review the actions of the officer.

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave per Fort Pierce Police policy.

“This is something that officers are constantly faced with, the dangers of what they have to encounter on the streets,” said Fort Pierce Police Major Michael Santiago. “Fortunately, our highly trained officers were able to end this violent spree before it went any further.”

This remains an open and active investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Jesse Love at 772-302-4790. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-(800)-273-8477.

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Melissa E. Holsman is the legal affairs reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers and is writer and co-host of "Uncertain Terms," a true-crime podcast. Reach her at  melissa.holsman@tcpalm.com. If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Fort Pierce police kill gunman; 2 other people dead