LEON COUNTY, Fla. — "All units stop where you are we have an active shooting in progress, we have an officer down."
That call for help filled Leon County sheriff's radios seconds after firefighters and deputies responded to what they thought was just a house fire Saturday morning.
"We've got the shooter in our sights and we're backing off as quickly as possible. He is still firing."
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The shooter was firing shots that killed 47-year-old deputy Christopher Smith and hit deputy Colin Wulfekuh in the back.
Wulfekuh was saved by his bulletproof vest.
"Deputy Wulfekuhl Wulfekuh maintained his gun fire and does not displace again until the firefighters have safely evacuated,” said Lt. James McQuaig of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.A neighbor an off-duty Tallahassee police officer is credited with stopping 53-year old Curtis Wade Holley's deadly ambush.
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“This person was anti-government, was anti-establishment …. and had discussed at some point in time to harm law enforcement,” McQuaig said.
In fact, his address was flagged as a risk, but a law enforcement official told the Associated Press that a dispatch mistake kept that warning from getting to the responding officers.
Investigators think the shooter planned to kill as many first responders as he could.