Police in south Brevard are on the alert Tuesday after a gunman apparently took aim in the direction of several patrol officers in a Melbourne neighborhood.
The officers were not injured but the gunfire immediately prompted law enforcement agents to call out the Brevard County sheriff's helicopter and police dog to help in a search for the gunman, Local 6 news partner Florida Today reports.
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"They were looking for someone who shot off some rounds in the direction of the officers. The officers were out of their patrol cars talking," said Sgt. Shawn Eising, spokesman for the Melbourne Police Department.
The shooting happened at about 9 p.m. Monday as at least two police officers got out of their vehicles in the Powell Subdivision to talk near Doreatha Fields Avenue in the northeast section of Palm Bay. Palm Bay police were also alerted about the shooting.
Police in Melbourne and Palm Bay, the county's two largest cities, are on the alert.
"That's something we do every day, staying alert. Obviously we've made the officers aware of what's been happening for the past few months. Things seem to be escalating in terms of aggression toward police," Eising said. "But the vast majority of people are supportive of police."
Police were still searching for the gunman.
"It doesn't appear that there was any property damage. It's likely the person was not far from a home base when they fired the shots. We will have some extra (officers) out there during the daylight hours."
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police at 321-608-6422.