Naples police officer shoots man at Cove Inn

NAPLES, Fla. — A Naples Police Department officer shot a man while responding to a call at Cove Inn on Naples Bay, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.

The FDLE has opened an investigation into what took place at the downtown resort hotel on 900 Broad Ave S. The man who was shot was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, but his condition is unclear.

Police were told a domestic violence incident was taking place at the inn at around 6:45 p.m., a Naples police lieutenant said. A man at the scene showed a weapon, and the officer opened fire at him, according to the lieutenant.

It’s unclear how many times he was shot, but he was alert as he was on his way to the hospital, according to police. The man is not considered a suspect in any crime, police said, and it’s unclear if he used his weapon at any point.

The officer was not harmed and has been placed on administrative leave, according to police.

It’s the fifth violent encounter involving Southwest Florida law enforcement in less than three weeks. A driver is accused of fighting with a Lee County Sheriff’s deputy after a Nov. 8 traffic stop. A man who fought with a deputy on Interstate 75 Exit 123 was shot by a passerby on Nov. 14.

Another man exchanged fire with deputies Nov. 16 in the Pine Manor neighborhood just south of Fort Myers. And a Sanibel police officer was shot during a traffic stop Sunday, leading to an exchange of gunfire between police and the suspect.

No further information is immediately available.