Story Created:
Jul 25, 2008 at 4:20 PM EST
Story Updated:
Jul 25, 2008 at 5:22 PM EST
LEE COUNTY, Fla. - The State Attorney's Office has cleared four Fort Myers police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a suspect accused of killing Officer Andrew Widman on July 18.
The State Attorney's Office released its investigation.
PDF Document: Officer Shooting Review
The four officers involved were Alain Gagnon, Michael Perry, Wolfgang Daniel and Bradley Ades.
The report shows it wasn't a simple exchange of gunfire. It was a moving battle with suspect Abel Arango.
Here’s what we know:
Between the suspect and the four officers, at least sixteen specific shots were fired. Officers and Arango fired their weapon several more times. This took place over the course of five or six minutes, through the streets of Downtown Fort Myers.
It started at on Main Street, where Officer Widman was shot. Then Arango was spotted on Broadway. He fired shots at two officers, they returned fire. Arango kept running and came face to face with another officer who didn't realize he was the shooter until Arango pulled his gun firing twice at the officer. The officer fired back, six shots in total. Arango kept running and firing his weapon. Officers fired several more shots and they lost sight of him. The next time Arango was spotted, Officer Alain Gagnon fired two shots, one of them was the shot that killed Arango.
Officers fired at least 11 shots. Arango fired five at officers and more while he was running.
The State Attorney determined that the officers who fired were in fear for their safety as well as for others in the area. All of them justified in their use of deadly force.