Winter Haven Police in Florida are investigating two separate shootings that occurred Wednesday in the Florence Villa neighborhood, identifying the two men dead as Cody Hunt and Rorey Copeland.
Public Safety Director Charlie Bird detailed that officers were on Palmetto Avenue 11:36 a.m. Wednesday investigating the shooting of Rorey Copeland, 41, when officers heard additional gunshots.
Copeland has non-life threatening injuries.
The victim of that second shooting approached officers with a gunshot wound in his neck, collapsing and died at the local hospital.
Hunt, 30, identified as that victim.
“You’ve got officers 30 yards away. That’s bold, that’s extremely bold,” Bird said. “And that’s someone, quite frankly, if they’re willing to do that with officers around, they have no problem shooting an officer, they have no problem shooting anybody, quite frankly. They don’t have a regard for anyone’s life. We’re going to hit this 100 percent to make sure we get them where they belong.”
He continued: “Let’s be honest here, you’ve got a lot of police officers working a shooting already and then somebody has the drive to stand right there and shoot, shoot and kill someone,” Bird said. “That’s concerning to us, that’s concerning to the citizens.”
Bird said Hunt was a well-known club promoter in Polk County.
Shortly after Hunt collapsed near the officers, Bird said witnesses in the area informed them there was a man running away from the scene.
That man was later taken into custody and is being questioned.
Bird said officers are going to “really crack down” and use all their resources on the investigation.
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I would like more information on this murder investigation, as my brother is the victim.