By Jennifer Lebovich and David Ovalle
The Miami Herald
MIAMI, Fla. — After a Taser stun didn’t work, a Miami police officer shot a “deranged” man in the shoulder during a brawl inside a Burger King on Wednesday night, authorities said.
Both were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in stable condition.
The unnamed officer was treated for a “nasty bruise on his forehead,” Miami Chief John Timoney said. The man’s shoulder wound was ''not life-threatening,’' Timoney said.
At 5:15 p.m., dispatchers got a call from the Burger King at 1700 Biscayne Blvd.
A shirtless man had entered, robbing customers’ food, exposing himself and “acting in a deranged manner,” Timoney said.
A Miami police officer arrived, calling for back-up. Near the front counter, he ordered the man to the floor.
The man complied briefly, but got up again.
The officer shot his Taser stun gun. The prongs hit but the weapon had no effect, Timoney said.
A witness, Marc Jackson, told The Miami Herald the man pulled the prongs out.
“The officer did everything according to procedure,’' Timoney said.
In the ensuing scuffle, the officer believed the man was reaching for his gun. The cop shot him before he could.
Witnesses and an early review of surveillance video corroborates the officer’s story, Timoney said.
“It was last resort,” he said of the shooting.
Copyright 2007 The Miami Herald