PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A dispute over a dog appears to have led to a deadly home invasion in St. Lucie County.
It happened early Monday afternoon at a two-story home on SE Morningside Boulevard near Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie.
A man, a 13-year-old girl and the alleged gunman are all dead, and a police officer was taken to the hospital. The officer is expected to recover.
Investigators say the ordeal began that morning in court. One family reportedly complained about a neighbor's dog, who Sheriff Ken Mascara said was ruled "dangerous" by a judge on Monday.
When everybody returned from the courthouse, the sheriff says the neighbor armed himself and went next-door.
It's unclear exactly what happened next.
But, at 12:20 p.m., the teenage girl called 911 to say there was a man in her home, and she believed her parents may have been shot.
Police officers, deputies and SWAT team members responded.
Authorities say gunfire erupted between the gunman and officers, and one officer was hit in the arm. The police officer was rushed to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
When police got inside the home, they found the alleged gunman dead in an upstairs bedroom and a man who lived at the home dead in the garage. Officers were able to get the 13-year-old girl outside. She was taken to the hospital, where she died.
Police know the gunman from prior complaints involving the dog but did not release his name Monday afternoon. They have also not yet released the names of the girl or man who died or confirmed if they were father and daughter.
It's not immediately clear how the gunman died -- whether he was killed by officers or some other way.
Police say other people were able to safely escape the home, although it was not immediately clear how many.
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