Melbourne Police Contain Active Shooter Situation After Fierce Gun Battle

Melbourne citizens can rest easy knowing they are safe thanks to authorities' swift response to an active shooter situation.

The scary situation went down at an apartment complex on Wednesday morning, where an unidentified suspect had barricaded himself inside a unit. He reportedly opened fire at cops, leading to an intense gun battle.

Melbourne police officers eventually arrested the man, but he sustained fatal wounds.

A video of the area where the active shooter confronted cops was shared on X, showing several Melbourne police officers and vehicles stationed outside an apartment complex. The post's caption revealed the clip was taken after the incident, reading:

"Go to the scene where an active shooter situation happened for about 2 hours in Melbourne, Florida. Situation has been contained. No word on casualties. #Florida #Melbourne."

The update came at the heels of the Melbourne Police Department's updates on X, with the first post warning citizens to avoid the dangerous area. Their statement read:

"Melbourne PD is actively working an active shooter situation in the area of Babcock & Strawbridge. Please avoid the area."

"Please avoid the area of Babcock and Hibiscus and Babcock and Fee Avenue. We do have an active situation, and we will update you As soon as we can with more information," authorities stressed in a separate tweet.

In their latest update about the active shooter, Melbourne PD assured citizens there were no issues, writing:

"The incident has been contained at this point; however, the investigation remains ongoing.  While there will still be a law enforcement presence in the area, there is no further threat to public safety."

Melbourne Police Chief David Gillespie shed more light on the incident to FOX, revealing they received a 911 call about a suspicious individual at an apartment complex located near Babcock Street and Strawbridge Avenue.

The call came in around 8:30 a.m. from a concerned person; however, when cops arrived, they were immediately met with gunfire. Fortunately, the officers retreated safely, with Gillespie noting:

"They didn't have the opportunity to knock on the door. So, again, we're very fortunate."

According to authorities, the responding officers did not defend themselves when the suspect attacked. Instead, they retreated, took a defensive position, and set up a perimeter to contain the situation.

SWAT law enforcement officers and crisis negotiation teams were called to the scene, attempting to get the shooter to surrender without a fight. Unfortunately, the Melbourne Police Chief noted the man chose to exit his unit and continue his violent rampage.

This time, officers did not retreat, and multiple people fired from at least two police agencies fired back. Eventually, the suspect was taken into custody but succumbed to his injuries.

Shooting crimes have become a crisis in the US, with The Blast reporting that a couple from Michigan had been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in May. James and Jennifer Crumbley were held responsible for their son Ethan's decision to shoot up a high school in 2021.

James was found guilty on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter, with a jury stressing he was negligent for disregarding warning signs exhibited by his son. It didn't help the patriarch's case that he purchased a gun for Ethan days before he used it at Oxford High School.

In her testimony, Jennifer blamed her husband for their son's heinous crimes, claiming he bought the gun and hid it from her. However, she was also found guilty of playing a significant role in Ethan's school shooting.

Despite attempting to blame her husband for Ethan's crimes, reports revealed Jennifer had downplayed the moment her son was caught searching for ammunition online at school. She allegedly told him she wasn't upset and encouraged him to "learn not to get caught."

When asked if she would have handled the situation differently, Jennifer declared she would not change a thing. On the day Ethan shot up the school, the parents had been alerted to disturbing drawings of guns and bloodied people in their son's possession.

Despite the school's pleas for the Crumbleys to remove their son, they refused, another reason why the law held the disgraced parents accountable for Ethan's crimes as it could have been prevented.