Staff Reports
A woman armed with a handgun and locked in a La Quinta Inn bathroom suffered life-threatening injuries on Monday when after she was shot by Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies.
According to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) release, deputies responded to La Quinta Inn at 908 NW 69th Terrace in Gainesville regarding a well-being check.
Upon arrival, hotel management told deputies they had not seen the occupant of a room since Saturday, Jan. 6, and were unable to access the room because the deadbolt was securing the door.
Deputies attempted to get the occupant to open the door by knocking and announcing themselves before requesting assistance from Alachua County Fire Rescue, who forced the door open.
Once inside, deputies cleared the room and located an empty gun holster on the bed. They then noticed that the bathroom door was locked. Deputies then forced the bathroom door open after giving verbal announcements. Once they forced entry, deputies discovered the suspect inside the bathroom armed with a handgun. The woman refused to drop the weapon and obey the deputies’ commands and was shot.
Emergency responders transported the woman to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. No deputies were injured. Both the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the ACSO Office of Professional Standards will investigate the deputy-involved shooting per policy. According to the release, “The deputy(s) involved have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the parallel investigations.”