Trooper shot during traffic stop – kills gunman

FHP Sergeant Dylan L. Bryan reported to Historic City News this morning that officers in Putnam County are searching for a man who escaped a shootout on Reid Street in Palatka at about 1:00 a.m. this morning; leaving one man dead, and a state trooper in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the face.

When 36-year-old Trooper Lawrence Andrew Litzell attempted a simple traffic stop this morning, the driver and passenger leapt from the vehicle and a brief foot chase ensued. One of the men fleeing the scene turned and fired on the trooper; striking him in the face. Trooper Litzell returned fire. The gunman, identified by family as Samorian Wingo, was killed in the exchange.

“When someone attacks one of your own, it’s tough to hear,” Bryan told local reporters.
“Trooper Litzell is an outstanding model for his peers, and he’s been with FHP for 11 years.”

Trooper Litzell was taken by medical helicopter to a Gainesville hospital; where, Bryan reports, he is in stable condition.

Now the investigation turns to locating the second occupant of the vehicle who escaped the scene on foot. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the second occupant is urged to call FHP or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-277-TIPS.