ORLANDO, Fla. — Police officers shot a man who they say had been acting erratically as he ran toward a vehicle entering an Orlando apartment complex.
Multiple residents called 911 just before 1 a.m. Wednesday about a man who was reportedly knocking on windows. Arriving officers saw a man running with a gun toward a vehicle entering the complex, Deputy Chief Eric Smith said during a news conference.
“They caught up to him as they saw him get into somebody’s vehicle, somebody was driving into the parking lot, he jumped into the passenger side of that vehicle,” The Associated Press reports Smith said. “Officers approached him and at that point, they saw a firearm.
"Officers fired multiple rounds at the suspect, striking the suspect to protect the civilian that was still in the vehicle.”
The man was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment.
“This is just an unfortunate incident but it’s one that we responded to in order to protect our citizens,” Smith said to AP.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting while the five officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave, the media outlet reports.
10 Tampa Bay's Courtney Holland contributed to this report.
