FRUITLAND PARK, Fla. – A man is in custody after opening fire inside a home early Wednesday morning, according to Fruitland Park Police Chief Henry Rains.
The call came in around 3:45 a.m. at a home in the 600 block of Smith Street. Rains said a verbal altercation led the suspect to grab an AR-15-style rifle and fire rounds inside the home. The suspect also reached for a pistol during the argument, but it was empty.
Officers quickly determined the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home while the other occupants remained inside. Rains said the suspect appeared to be wearing Kevlar padding and was armed with the AR-15-style rifle when officers attempted to make entry.
Rains said six people were inside the home at the time of the shooting. Officers were able to safely remove all occupants from the home before taking the suspect into custody without further incident. The suspect was already out on bond for a drug trafficking case at the time of the shooting.
“We’re talking about one of the scariest scenes a police officer can respond to — when you have an active scene where someone has already shot rounds in a dwelling, and you have five or six other people inside the house,” Rains said.
No injuries were reported. The suspect’s name has not yet been released. Felony charges are expected.