By Police1 Staff
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — Two cops wounded in a shootout on Florida’s Turnpike remain in the hospital Friday as the FBI works to identify the gunman who opened fire while walking on a median during rush hour.
Key Biscayne Officer Nelia Real was shot in the neck during the incident Thursday and was reported to be aware of her surroundings Friday evening, Police Chief Charles Press said.
ICE agent Gabriel Martinez, a 10-year veteran with the agency, was shot in the shoulder and was listed in stable condition Friday, according to NBC Miami.
Authorities say prior to the shootout, David Bradley, 23, fired shots during an armed robbery at a barber shop and carjacked a G-35 Infiniti, which he crashed into another vehicle on the Turnpike. Real was on her way home from work when she saw the crash and stopped to help, Press said.
A man believed to be with the Broward Sheriff’s Office rushed her to the hospital after she was injured, and she was reportedly talking and holding her neck when she arrived. The Sun Sentinel reported her condition as critical but stable, with many optimistic she will recover.
“She may owe that officer her life. His quick action rushing her to the hospital knowing that traffic was going to be terrible and rescue getting there could have taken a long time, it was something that he felt he needed to do, and obviously she is in good hands now,” Press said.
Martinez works in enforcement and removal operations and was also responding to what he believed was just a crash. A third officer, a BSO deputy from Dania Beach, broke her leg in another car accident while she was on her way to the scene.
Bradley shot and killed himself on the Turnpike.