Aired on WUFT on February 16th, 2012

A nine-year veteran of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office was  shot and killed in the line of duty tonight.  At around 6:25 p.m., 35-year-old CCSO Detective David White,, was shot and killed by an armed suspect at a home located at 4874 Alligator Blvd. in Middleburg.  A second CCSO member, Det. Matthew Hanlin, was also shot by the suspect and is currently in surgery at Orange Park Medical  Center and is in serious but stable condition.

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, Det. White and Det. Hanlin were working as part of a larger 9-man team conducting an investigation into a meth lab suspected to be located inside the home.  The two approached the door of the home and encountered the suspect.  Almost immediately, the adult male suspect began firing shots at the two detectives, hitting them both.  The armed suspect who has yet to be identified then fled out of the back of the home where he was shot and killed by a member of the Sheriff’s Department.

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), there were five other males in the home at the time of the incident.  The men were taken into custody and detained for questioning.  the CCSO is continuing its investigation to determine the identities and potential criminal backgrounds of all six suspects.  According to a press release, one or more of the suspects may have been living illegally in the home as “squatters,” without permission of the owner.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently involved in the investigation of the shooting incident and the meth lab processing and clean up.