An off-duty Miami-Dade Police officer was critically injured after he was shot by his estranged girlfriend in Hialeah Friday morning, officials said.
Hialeah Police spokesman Sgt. Jose Torres said the officer was shot in the 1200 block of W. 79th Street.
The officer was transported in "extremely" critical condition to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, Torres said.
"Please keep the family of this officer as well as the Miami-Dade Police Department and the police community, keep them in your prayers," Torres said. "Very sad morning, very sad morning."
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Officials didn't release the officer's identity but NBC 6 has learned he's Damian Colon, a veteran member of the department.
The shooter, identified as Yessenia Sanchez, was charged with attempted first degree murder, aggravated stalking and leaving the scene of an accident, Hialeah Police said in a news release.
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Sanchez was the officer's ex-girlfriend and a former Miami-Dade Schools Police officer. Sanchez and Colon had been in a prior relationship for seven years, police said.
Police said Sanchez tracked the officer to the location he was staying using an electronic device. When the two began arguing, she pulled out a weapon and fired striking him once, the release said.
The release said Sanchez then fled the scene of Palm Avenue and 45th Street and crashed into multiple vehicles. She fled on foot but was located in the 600 block of East 45th Street where she was taken into custody.
Sanchez had resigned from her job as an officer last year rather than be fired following her arrest on domestic violence charges.
A neighbor said the victim was staying at his parents’ house, where the shooting happened.
"It was surprising. Like who would actually shoot a cop so early in the morning?" said a neighbor, who didn't want to be identified.
Meanwhile, a large group of law enforcement officers gathered outside the hospital in a show of support for the officer, who officials said has been with the department for 17 years.
“We all respond when one of our brothers or sisters is injured. We all come together as one,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez. "It’s devastating. It’s devastating for the family, for my fellow officers, for the law enforcement community and for the Miami-Dade community.”
Ramirez said the officer underwent surgery after he was shot in the head, and was joined by family members at the hospital.
”He’s still with us and we want to ride that positivity,” he said. “We asked that the community ride that positively with us for him and his family. And that’s what’s going to get us through this.”
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also went to show her support and was escorted inside the hospital.
"We’re hopeful,” Levine Cava said. “We’re hopeful that this will turn out well, and so we ask the whole community to come out and join us in prayers and in hope."
Check back with NBC 6 for updates.
