Daytona Beach man shoots Ormond Beach officer during hospital MRI

A suspect grabbed an officer's holstered gun during an MRI at AdventHealth Daytona Beach, firing one shot that struck the officer in the leg. The suspect, Michael Hightower, 40, had earlier beaten an elderly couple at a Daytona College campus.

Suspect wrests gun from officer during MRI, wounds him in leg

A man who had severely beaten an elderly couple outside a vocational college managed to grab a police officer's firearm during a hospital procedure and fired one shot, wounding the officer in the leg, news-journalonline.com reports. The shooting took place at AdventHealth Daytona Beach in the early hours of 21 September, and Ormond Beach Police Officer Austin Long's injury is considered non-life-threatening.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young, speaking at a news conference alongside Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey, described the sequence of events that led to the shooting. "From what we know right now there was a struggle while the suspect was going through an MRI and the officers were attempting to restrain him," Young said. "At some point, the suspect was able to reach over and grab the officer's gun while it was in its holster. At some point, we believe that gun was removed just enough for one shot to be fired. That one shot struck the officer in the leg."

Young added that officers pulled back in time to prevent the suspect from gaining full control of the weapon.

Assault on an elderly couple

The sequence of events began the evening of 20 September, when Ormond Beach police were called to Daytona College at 425 S. Nova Road at around 6:43 p.m. following a report of an assault. Officers arrived to find a 79-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman in critical condition, both severely beaten.

According to Godfrey, the couple had gone to the address after a burglary alarm was triggered at the vocational and technical school. On arrival they discovered an unfamiliar wallet, an ID card, and what appeared to be an alcoholic beverage. The woman texted her son and exchanged messages with him for roughly two hours about a person inside the building — later identified by police as a contracted cleaning worker.

The son urged the victims to call 911. They did so while standing outside the building. At that point, Michael Hightower, 40, exited the building, got into his car, and struck the woman with the vehicle. He then stepped out and attacked both victims, striking and kicking them multiple times, police said. The couple were taken to hospital in critical condition.

Officers from multiple agencies located Hightower walking in the 300 block of Clyde Morris Boulevard at around 7:37 p.m. He was tased after resisting arrest and taken to the Ormond Beach Police Department for questioning. He was then transported to AdventHealth at approximately 3:20 a.m. on 21 September to be evaluated for injuries sustained in a vehicle crash during his flight from the scene and from being tased, Godfrey said.

Charges

Hightower was held on 21 September at Volusia County Branch Jail without bail. Ormond Beach police charged him with two counts of attempted felony murder and resisting an officer with violence. Daytona Beach police added charges of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, two counts of battery on a specified personnel — including police, firefighter, and medical personnel — and assault on a law enforcement officer.

When asked whether Hightower had been attempting to escape when he seized the officer's gun, Young said the investigation is still ongoing but offered his assessment: "Obviously it's still under investigation, but I can't think of any other reason for as combative as he was other than to hurt or kill an officer in an attempt to escape."

Hospital staff conduct under review

Young also used the news conference to announce he would be calling for a full review of the behavior of the medical staff at AdventHealth toward his officers who responded to the shooting. He did not specify what the alleged mistreatment involved but pointed to the on-duty emergency room doctor.

"I will be calling for a full review of this incident because I can tell you that a lot of my officers are very upset with the treatment that they endured last night by medical staff in that hospital," Young said. He added that he would contact hospital administration if the accounts from his officers proved accurate. "We should all be on the same team and all of our jobs are extremely important. At the end of the day we are both trying to save lives."

An AdventHealth spokesperson, Lindsay Cashio, executive director of communications for AdventHealth's east Florida division, said the hospital would cooperate fully with the Daytona Beach Police Department's investigation. "The safety of our patients, visitors and team members is always our highest priority. We are grateful for the swift actions of those who responded and our hearts are with everyone affected by this incident," Cashio said. "We are supporting local law enforcement as its investigation continues, and all inquiries should be directed to local authorities."

The shooting at the hospital remains under active investigation.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)