Authorities say police officer fatally shot in Florida, 3 suspects in custody

AP Photo/John Raoux

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Police say one police officer was shot and killed and another was gravely injured by gunfire while checking suspicious people in central Florida. Three suspects are in custody and a fourth is being sought.

Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said at a news conference early Saturday morning that officers Sam Howard and Matthew Baxter were checking people in an area of Kissimmee known for drug activity when they were shot. They did not have an opportunity to return fire.

O’Dell says Baxter died later in a hospital, and Howard was in serious condition.

NOW WATCH: Why planes leave white trails in the sky — and how you can use them to predict the weather

See Also:

• Driver forced to gun engine and jump his car across a rising drawbridge

• US troops will help clear Iraqi cities of explosives left by ISIS — and it could take decades

• A baby dolphin died after being crowded by beachgoers in Spain