UPDATE 5:45 P.M.: Melbourne International Airport police say the suspect has died from his wounds. He was identified as John Jay Niebuhr, 40, from Palm Bay. A release from the department indicated that the Palm Bay police had issued a “situational awareness bulletin,” about Niebuhr and his recent interactions with authorities there in which he declared himself a “sovereign citizen” who was being harassed by the government.
Melbourne Orlando International Airport police shot an unidentified suspect Friday morning after he initially attempted to enter airport property at a secure gate, said Reneè Purden, airport police chief.
The man was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. Purden did not have information on his medical condition available during a press conference just before noon.
No other injuries were reported in the officer-involved shooting, which took place about 9 a.m., Purden said. Two airport police officers met the suspect — who had a weapon and was inside a vehicle — on airport-owned property off Harry Sutton Road just west of the Hyatt Place Melbourne Airport hotel, she said.
“I will say the airport is secure. Flights are not delayed. The airport is open for operation, as well as the Hyatt Place behind me,” Purden told reporters during a press conference in a grass field near NASA Boulevard.
“So, this incident occurred outside of our secure area, out on the outer perimeter of airport property. Everything is safe and secure at this time. And I repeat, the investigation is ongoing. And that’s all I have for now,” she said.
![Melbourne Police Department and Melbourne Orlando International Airport personnel work the scene after a Thursday morning officer-involved shooting off Harry Sutton Road.](https://investorminute.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/74246568007-mlb.jpg)
More:State and local investigators seek motive in Melbourne deadly shootout
Behind Purden, a large continent of Melbourne Police Department and airport police vehicles — including a white CSI van — were stationed near the airport perimeter fence west of the hotel, near a row of hangars used by small aircraft operators.
Mayor Paul Alfrey said there had been a citywide “be on the lookout” alert issued for the suspect, who may have had mental health issues. The man threatened the officers with a weapon before he was shot, he said.
Purden said airport personnel initially made contact with the suspect off of Ed Foster Road at a secure gate. This roadway is located east of the airport’s passenger terminal, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
“He was attempting to gain access onto airport property and stated that he wanted to make entry onto a plane. The subject left that area. The airport personnel contacted airport police, who found the subject located over here off of Harry Sutton Road,” Purden told reporters.
“They approached the vehicle. The subject was in the vehicle. He had a weapon. Shots were fired. And the subject was transported to Holmes Regional hospital,” she said.
“The officers of the airport police department are OK,” she said.
Purden said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the officer-involved shooting, as is general practice with many police agencies. In a Facebook post, MLB officials deemed the shooting an isolated incident.
It was the second police-related shooting in Melbourne within a three-day span.
On Wednesday, a man fired repeatedly at police from inside an apartment building near the intersection of Babcock Street and West New Haven Avenue, one of the city’s busiest intersections. The man had made a 911 call and police were responding when the incident occurred. As police attempted to negotiate with the man, he emerged armed from an apartment in the Pentagon Apartments complex. Police shot and killed him.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1