Watch: Daytona Beach Police Officer Shot in Chest During Intense Apartment Gunfight

A Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) officer was shot in the chest during an apartment shootout on Saturday. The gunfight ended with two officers injured, the suspect dead, and an officer’s body camera video footage capturing it all.

On Saturday at 2:38 p.m., the DBPD received a tip on the whereabouts of 44-year-old Michael Harris, a murder suspect they had been looking for. According to a DBPD press release, “DBPD’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) had an active arrest warrant for Harris in relation to the shooting of a woman on August 18, 2020 at the Travelers Inn in Daytona Beach (850 South Ridgewood Avenue).” Both DBPD and Holly Hill Police Department officers responded to the location of the suspect. A perimeter was established and officers approached the apartment.

Watch the video to see what happens next:

The officer has not been identified by the department yet due to the ongoing Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the shooting. Another officer on scene tripped and fell when the shooting began inside the apartment, experiencing a head and neck injury. DBPD officials said both officers are in stable condition and are expected to make full recoveries. All officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard operating procedure for the department.

“If you pull a gun on a police officer and shoot a police officer, you’re going to get killed. … We don’t want to take a life, we want to save life — that’s what we are sworn to do,” said Daytona Beach Chief of Police Craig Capri during a Saturday press conference. He said Harris’ actions forced officers on scene to return fire, which resulted in his death.