WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a maintenance man at a Florida motel was shot and wounded after threatening suicide and pointing a gun at police officers.
The Ledger reports that the shooting occurred Wednesday morning at the Royal Inn in Winter Haven.
Police say officers responded following a report of a suicide threat and encountered 46-year-old Roderick Helmick. Chief Charlie Bird says the man pointed his gun at five officers, prompting them all to open fire.
Helmick was taken to a Lakeland hospital in critical condition.
Bird called the shooting a tragedy but said it was unavoidable after Helmick pointed the gun at officers.
The races of Helmick and the officers weren't immediately released.
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Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com