PIERSON, Fla. -- A passenger in a pickup truck pulled over during a traffic stop late Monday night in Barberville was killed after he shot at two Volusia County Sheriff’s deputies and the female driver also was struck by a bullet in the crossfire, an agency spokesman said, adding the deputies weren’t injured.
Here is a synopsis of what happened as decribed by Voluia County Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson to HeadlineSurfer.com: After spotting a burned out tail light, deputies pulled over the GMC truck at 11:29 p.m. as it traveled westbound on S.R. 40 just west of County Road 3.
Two deputies approached the truck, one on the driver’s side and one on the passenger side.
"About two minutes later while talking to the occupants, the passenger pulled out a gun and fired at both deputies," Davidson said. "Both deputies returned fire, striking the male passenger."
He was pronounced dead inside the truck, where two guns were recovered. Neither deputy was injured in the shooting. A pregnant woman who was driving the truck was struck in the shoulder by a bullet.
A Sheriff’s Office helicopter airlifted the woman to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach for treatment of her injury. It’s unknown at this time who shot her, Davidson said.
Traffic on State Road 40 has been temporarily re-routed so that investigators can continue securing the scene and recovering evidence from the shooting.
Davidson said both deputies will be temporarily placed on administrative leave with pay, as is customary in officer-involved shootings. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will investigate the shooting, which is standard practice.