Wanted homicide suspect barricaded on I-75 in Lee County, shutting down highway

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — The Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol are on scene, where they are investigating a wanted shooting suspect who barricaded themselves within their vehicle on Interstate 75 southbound.

At around 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday, law enforcement blocked all north and southbound lanes near Mile Marker 126 while they were attempting to de-escalate the scene.

The Florida Highway Patrol is on location and is the lead investigator regarding this matter.

It remains unclear how long both I-75 lanes will be closed. 

WINK News contacted FHP regarding this incident, where they confirmed chasing after a solo vehicle from St. Petersburg, wanted for a homicide that occurred in the area.

Our team contacted the St. Petersburg Police Department regarding this shooting. According to the police department, the victim is a 12-year City of St. Petersburg employee who was a sanitation technician. She was shot while sitting inside her front-end loader work vehicle. 

The victim and the suspect were known to each other. The public is not in danger; the incident was not a random act, the police department said.

Police have identified the suspect; however, they have not disclosed their identity.

Troopers attempted to stop the vehicle, and the suspect barricaded themselves within the car. Efforts are being made to negotiate a peaceful surrender; however, troopers believed gunshots were fired.

Reporter Hunter Walterman is on scene gathering information and providing updates.

 Stay tuned to WINKNews.com, WINK News App, streaming, and on air for any new developments on this story.