Suspect Who Shot Daytona Beach Police Officer Apologizes

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Daytona Beach, FL - The 40-year-old Daytona Beach man now facing charges for shooting at three police officers and wounding one of them over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend admits he "did wrong" and doesn't mind "being punished" for what he did. Raymond Roberts (above) also apologized to the officer who was shot, saying he "didn't mean to hurt" him, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department arrest report released today (November 26th) in last night's incident on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South Street. Speaking to the media after that report was released, DBPD Chief Craig Capri (below) hopes Roberts "gets the book" thrown at him, especially considering he's been convicted twice in the past on drug-related charges.
Multiple 911 calls about a black male holding an AK-47 led to three officers being dispatched to that intersection just before 11 o'clock last night, including Officer Kevin Hird, the one who was wounded. Per the report, Hird and another officer - Maycon MacDowell - were just around the corner on Marco Street when they took the dispatcher's call. MacDowell testified that Roberts fired "multiple rounds from a high-powered rifle" at both of them upon arrival from the northeast corner of the intersection, which is when Hird took a round in the right arm. According to MacDowell, he took cover behind his vehicle and did not return fire, but Roberts did hide behind a tree and fired at least three more shots at him and Officer Hird. The third DBPD officer involved - Lieutenant Jeremy Nikolow - stated in the report that he heard the shots as soon as he pulled up in his vehicle and it was when he got out that Roberts fired several rounds at him, causing him to pull his weapon out and return fire. It was at that point, per the report, when Roberts got away on foot, running east until he was caught minutes later near the corner of Marion and George streets. Officers who caught him noted that Roberts tossed the gun away just before he was taken into custody. Capri says it wasn't the first time Roberts had caught the attention of DBPD, citing a domestic incident earlier this year.
Part of Roberts' testimony was redacted from the report, but it does show that Roberts was upset about "some people" triple-crossing him and that he meant harm to those people. The report noted Roberts telling police that they likely "saved" the lives of those people. It's not clear in the report what Roberts was referring to when he said he was triple-crossed, but it does show Roberts claiming that "he had had enough mentally, physically and spiritually". Roberts is currently held without bond at Volusia County Jail on five total charges, including three counts of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon by an in-state felon. Officer Hird went to Halifax Health Medical Center for treatment and is expected to recover, though Capri says Hird will need at least another surgery to repair the damage since the bullet went through bone. The other officers are on paid leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates, which is standard for officer-involved shootings.
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