A 70-year-old Florida woman was confronted by police Thursday morning after authorities say she walked into the Port Orange Police Department lobby with a handgun and fired a shot inside the building, according to the department’s chief.
Port Orange police said the situation was contained and emphasized that there was “no threat to the community.” The department also confirmed that all officers and employees were safe and accounted for after the incident, which began at about 8:30 a.m. local time.
Speaking to reporters near the scene, Port Orange Police Chief Manuel Marino said the woman entered the department’s main lobby shortly after 8 a.m. He described her as an approximately 70-year-old White female who was carrying a handgun.
Marino said the woman made contact with civilian employees working in the front records area and then displayed the firearm.
After remaining in the lobby for several minutes, the chief said, she allegedly fired a round inside the police department lobby toward the area where civilian staff members had been working.
A radio alert was then issued describing an active shooter or shooting in progress, Marino said. Officers rushed to the area as the woman left the front lobby and encountered responding police.
Marino said an officer-involved shooting followed. The woman was taken to a hospital, but officials did not immediately release her name, citing pending notification of her next of kin.
Three officers were involved in the response, the chief said. No officers were hurt, and none of the civilian employees inside the Port Orange Police Department were injured.
The police chief said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting.
The suspect, according to Marino, was still holding her firearm when confronted by the officers.
Her condition is not immediately clear.
