PERRY, Fla. — A North Florida deputy is undergoing facial reconstructive surgery after he came under fire during a routine traffic stop Tuesday night.
Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett says Deputy Troy Anderson exited his cruiser after making a traffic stop on 33-year-old Gregory Miedema when he came under fire.
Miedema would then take off, sparking a Florida Blue Alert across the state. As law enforcement searched for Miedema, Anderson, who was reportedly shot in the jaw, neck and hand, was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
"Everything seems to be going in a good direction unless something turns around," Padgett said.
The Dixie County Sheriff's Office was among the agencies assisting in the search for Miedema when Sheriff Darby Butler says a call came in around 7:20 a.m. Wednesday for the report of a homeowner who shot an intruder.
Deputies would arrive at the scene to find the intruder dead. The intruder's car and several firearms believed to belong to them were also found on the property, according to Butler.
The sheriff says the homeowner told deputies he exchanged gunfire with the intruder after they tried to gain access to his home.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tallahassee Special Agent in Charge Mark Perez would later confirm that the attempted home intrusion involved Miedema. While Perez confirmed Miedema is dead, he would not say whether he was shot and killed by the homeowner.
"I truly believe that he had an evil mindset and his thought process was to kill and destroy innocent people," Butler said. "Fortunately, he did not succeed in that."
Butler adds that the homeowner was injured in the shooting but it "looks like he's fixin' to be released with only minor injuries, so that's a blessing within itself."
According to the FDLE, Miedema has ties to the Lee County area where he is a registered sex offender and it's unclear why he was in Taylor County.
All law enforcement involved is asking for prayers for Anderson and his family.