Melbourne neighbors shaken up by suspect's alleged shootout with police: 'Woke me and my son up'
MELBOURNE, Fla. - Residents living at Melbourne's Pentagon Garden Apartments said they're traumatized after a man allegedly opened fire within the complex on Wednesday morning.
Amanda Hernandez said she was jolted out of her sleep.
"The gunfire actually woke me and my son up," she said.
Hernandez said her "mama bear instinct" kicked in and she covered her 9-year-old as they crawled to the bathroom to hide.
According to Melbourne police, a man at the apartment complex began to shoot at officers. The alleged shooting happened on the floor above Hernandez's apartment.
Hernandez estimated that about 12 to 15 shots were fired when officers arrived at around 8:30 a.m. Police have not yet confirmed how many shots went off, but they did say they were "immediately" fired at by the man as soon as they got to the apartment.
"They didn't have the opportunity to knock on the door," Melbourne Police Chief David Gillespie said, adding that the shots weren't "random" and the man "knew he was firing at our people."
At around 10 a.m., the man left his apartment and engaged in a shootout with officers, according to police. The suspect was shot and Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey confirmed he died as a result.
No officers were hurt in the shooting.
"Better part of 10 minutes for the second half, which was honestly the scariest of all because our building is cement and we felt the tension from that," Hernandez said.
The suspect's identity has not yet been released. Authorities said early Wednesday afternoon they were waiting to notify the suspect's family.
Hernandez said he was always nice to her and would speak when they'd run into each other.
"I knew that he had a couple beliefs that maybe would go against the grain to some, but I wouldn't have imagined anything of this magnitude going on at all," Hernandez said.
Chief Gillespie said a motive for the shooting has not yet been determined at this time. Sgt. Ben Slover with the Melbourne Police Department said the suspect actually called 911 himself, which triggered the police response at the apartment complex.
Police described the call as "suspicious" and showed up for a wellness check, Slover said. That's when the man allegedly started shooting.
"I don't know what he was thinking, what his situation was," Gillespie said.
The incident remains under investigation, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the officer-involved shooting portion of the case.