Edgewater Police Shoot & Kill Man Who Was Chasing & Shooting At His Wife

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Edgewater, FL - Update: The officers involved in the New Year's Day shooting of an Edgewater man have been identified as Sergeant Adam Burris and K-9 Officer Samuel Epitropoulos.

Burris began with the department in May 2012. He received the Officer of the Year Award in 2014, the Supervisor of the Year Award in 2016, two Life-Saving Awards in 2016, and several Merit Awards during his employment.

Epitropoulos began working for the department in September 2014. He has been a K-9 Officer since April 2017. According to the Edgewater Police Department, neither officer has been previously disciplined for their use of force.

The wife, Karen Johns, has since been released from the hospital.

Earlier Reporting:

Police in Edgewater fatally shot a man on New Year's Day when they saw him chasing and shooting at his wife.

Edgewater Police Officers were called to the scene of a shooting at 2944 Unity Tree Drive on January 1. As officers were setting up a perimeter around the home they heard a gunshot and saw a woman run outside, screaming. Officers then saw an armed man run out of the home, chasing and shooting at the fleeing woman. Officers ordered the man to drop the gun, but he refused and kept chasing the woman. Two of the officers on scene fired their weapons and hit the man. The woman ran to an officer at the scene and told him that she had been shot in the chest.

The man was later identified as Gary Johns, 65, and the woman was identified as his wife, 58-year-old Karen Johns. The shooting happened at their Edgewater home.

Both were rushed to Halifax Health where Gary Johns was later pronounced dead. Karen Johns' injuries have been described as non-life threatening.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, which is department policy.

Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.

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