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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Two men were shot Tuesday morning in an incident that involved a Winter Haven Police Department officer, but it’s unclear whether the men’s wounds came from each other or the officer, the agency said.
Officers arrived at 270 Kings Pond Ave. in Winter Haven at 11:31, a.m., the department said in a news release. The first officer on the scene was speaking with a witness across the street from the residence where the disturbance occurred, the release said, when two men from the residence came outside and began shooting weapons at each other.
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Deciding there was an imminent danger to the public, the officer across the street fired his weapon toward the two aggressors, the release said. The suspects suffered injuries, but the agency said it wasn’t known Tuesday whether the injuries resulted from their shooting each other or from the officer’s firing at them.
Officers rendered aid to the suspects, the release said. The suspects were taken to a hospital, and WHPD did not know their condition as of Tuesday night.
The department identified the officer on Thursday as Joseph Riva, 32, who was hired in 2019. Riva was not physically injured, the release said.
The 10th Judicial Circuit Task Force, which is overseen by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, is handling the investigation, the release said. The Sheriff’s Office had no new information as of Wednesday morning, spokesperson Alicia Manautou said.
