Suspect shot after 1 killed, 2 wounded in home invasions

A man and woman carjacked a freeway assistance truck this morning before they broke into two houses, where one person was shot to death and two others were critically injured, Metro Police said.

The male suspect was shot to death by police, and the woman was taken into custody, authorities said.

The driver of the assistance truck spotted the couple next to a white Nissan Altima on the side of U.S. 95 near Tropicana Avenue and stopped to see if they needed help, Metro Officer Matt McCarthy said.

When the driver got out, the man pulled a gun and ordered him to take the couple to an address in the 3900 block of Autumn Street, McCarthy said. Once there, the gunman robbed the driver of his cellphone and let him leave, McCarthy said.

The couple then broke into a home and confronted the residents, McCarthy said. During a struggle, the male homeowner was shot and a woman was stabbed in the back, McCarthy said. After the intruders left, about 6:45 a.m., the shooting victim called police.

Both victims were taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, where the man died and the woman was in critical condition. Another woman at the house suffered injuries not thought to be life-threatening while trying to escape, and a minor was uninjured, police said.

The suspects then forced their way into a second home, a street over on Almondwood Drive, police said.

Officers tracked the couple to the house, where the woman was taken into custody after the male suspect came out holding her as a hostage in an apparent ruse and then released her, police said.

The male suspect retreated into the house after a Metro officer fired a shot at him and a standoff ensued, McCarthy said.

Some time later, the male homeowner ran outside and yelled, “He just shot my girlfriend,” Metro Sgt. John Sheahan said.

McCarthy said that when the male suspect came out again, he was holding a gun and using the injured woman as a shield. At one point, the woman fell to the ground and a Metro officer fatally shot the suspect, police said.

The woman was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

Police are still trying to piece together exactly what happened and had not established a motive for the string of events. “There are a lot of moving parts as you can tell,” McCarthy said.