LAKELAND, Fla.-
A man suspected of killing a sheriff’s deputy was shot to death in the woods by police Friday after an all-night manhunt in which searchers walked shoulder-to-shoulder through the tangled brush.
SWAT members did not see the man until they were beside him because he had dug himself in beneath a fallen oak tree, Sheriff Grady Judd said.
The man refused to show both hands when officers commanded him to, and they opened fire when it appeared he was carrying the slain deputy’s gun, Judd said. It was unclear if the man also fired the weapon.
“The killer chose his end because he didn’t show both hands,” Judd said. “I trust God to be the judge and jury better than anyone on earth.”
Hundreds of officers had used night-vision scopes, tracking dogs, helicopters and door-to-door searches to locate the man. He was found just 100 yards from where Deputy Vernon Matthew Williams was killed Thursday after a traffic stoop.
Another deputy, Douglas Speirs, had pulled the man over for speeding and became suspicious of his identification. The man got nervous and bolted into the woods, the sheriff said.
Speirs called for backup. Williams arrived and they began tracking the motorist into the woods, Judd said. The man fired on them, killing Williams, 39, and his police dog, Judd said. Speirs, also 39, was shot in the leg but was not seriously hurt.
The gunman was tentatively identified as Angelo Freeland of Miami, but the sheriff said he used many aliases. Judd said officials were confident he was involved in drug dealing because they found a book in his car detailing his illegal trade.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
