AndrewBlakePalmetto Bay, FL – Police have arrested one of two robbers who followed a 70-year-old, off-duty police officer home and attacked him, stole his gun and shot him in his driveway on Tuesday.
Doral Police Traffic Officer Lieutenant Gary King was shot at least once in the arm on Jan. 16, according to the Miami Herald.
“Investigators say that the couple [was] followed home by the subjects and robbed. The subjects and the victims were involved in a struggle, at which point a firearm was discharged, resulting in Mr. King being shot in the arm,” the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) said in a statement.
MDPD announced the arrest of 22-year-old Kionne Bell in the attack, but said they are looking for additional suspects.
Police charged Bell, of Florida City, with attempted second-degree murder, armed robbery, aggravated battery on a person age 65 or older, and armed burglary, WTVJ-TV reported.
Lt. King is a 48-year police veteran who started his career with the Miami Police Department in 1969, and has worked in several departments since that time.
At the time of his shooting, Lt. King commanded a traffic unit with the Doral Police Department.
Lt. King had just finished running errands and arrived home when he and a companion were confronted in his driveway by at least two suspects.
Police don’t believe the suspects knew Lt. King was a police officer.
A gun discharged during the struggle with the robbers in the driveway, and Lt. King was hit in the arm. Police said the suspects also stole some jewelry before fleeing.
The wounded officer was transported to Jackson South Medical Center where he underwent surgery
“Lt. King was one of the founders of our police department,” Doral Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez said at a news conference. “For those who know him, he has been very proud of being here in Doral.”
“I can tell you when I had the chance to speak with him last night, and in a very difficult moment, he is in great spirits,” Bermudez said.
MDPD said police were searching for two additional armed suspects.
“We have two individuals that are armed with the officer’s gun and these individuals are brazen enough obviously to commit the robbery, the act that they did, so we consider them armed and dangerous,” MDPD Alvaro Zabaleta told WTVJ.