Port Orange Police Chief Manuel Marino has provided a detailed public update following a dramatic morning incident in which a 71-year-old woman allegedly opened fire inside the lobby of the Port Orange Police Department headquarters in Florida.
The terrifying confrontation, which unfolded around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday along South Clyde Morris Boulevard, prompted an immediate lockdown and emergency response before concluding with an officer-involved shooting in the facility’s car park.
Authorities confirmed that despite the suspect discharging at least one round in the direction of civilian staff members, no employees or responding officers suffered physical injuries, according to Fox News.
According to Chief Marino, the suspect, subsequently identified by investigators as 71-year-old Linda Croteau, entered the public record section of the department lobby carrying a handgun. Witnesses and police reports noted that she brandished the firearm and remained in the reception area for several minutes before discharging a single round towards staff workspaces.
“She engages with some of our civilian staff at our front record section, brandishes the firearm at that point, and remains in the lobby for a bit of time, a few minutes, when ultimately she does fire a round inside the lobby in the direction where some of our civilian staff were working,” Chief Marino told local reporters during a press briefing.
A panicked emergency radio broadcast signalled an active threat in progress, drawing immediate tactical deployment from personnel inside the station.
Port Orange Shooting: How did the confrontation unfold in the parking lot?
Following the gunfire inside the building, Croteau walked out of the front entrance into the adjacent car park, where she was rapidly intercepted by three armed officers. Video footage reviewed by investigators captured the tense final moments of the standoff as law enforcement personnel shouted commands. Chief Marino confirmed that the suspect was still gripping the firearm when officers confronted her outside, leading directly to the officer-involved shooting.
Croteau sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter and was rushed by emergency medical services to a regional hospital, where she was listed in stable condition following immediate trauma surgery. Eyewitnesses working nearby described the surreal scene as officers secured the perimeter and cordoned off the block with yellow crime scene tape for over ten hours.
Port Orange Shooting: What are investigators focusing on during the ongoing probe?
As the immediate security threat subsided, municipal and state agencies moved quickly to manage the procedural aftermath. In accordance with standard legal protocols governing police use of force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement assumed control of the independent inquiry into the shooting. Investigators are currently reviewing body camera footage, forensic evidence from the lobby, and witness accounts to piece together the timeline of events. Police leadership acknowledged that no definitive motive has yet been established, and it remains unclear whether the suspect had any prior history of interactions with the department.
Meanwhile, municipal authorities have announced that the station lobby will remain closed to public walk-ins until the conclusion of the forensic work, with Chief Marino emphasising that providing psychological support and counselling to shaken civilian employees remains the department’s primary administrative priority.
