TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - A law enforcement official says a gunman who fatally ambushed a Florida sheriff's deputy after setting his own house on fire had made previous threats against police officers and an alert about him had been issued.
The official told The Associated Press that the dispatcher who took the call about the fire Saturday entered a neighbor's address, not the gunman's, so the computer alert wasn't activated and the slain deputy had no warning.
The official said the gunman shot the deputy from behind. He picked up the deputy's gun and then tried unsuccessfully to remove locked weapons from the deputy's car.
The gunman shot a second deputy, who was saved by his bullet-proof vest. A Tallahassee police officer who lives nearby heard the gunfire, ran outside and shot the gunman dead.
The law enforcement official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the case.
