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Port St. Lucie murder suspect fatally shot by police in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale police chief says suspect killed after engaging officers
Manuel Sanabria, Port St. Lucie murder suspect killed by Fort Lauderdale police
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Port St. Lucie murder suspect was shot and killed by police Tuesday morning in Fort Lauderdale.

Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Patrick Lynn said his officers received information that a man wanted on suspicion of murder in Port St. Lucie was driving a silver pickup truck in the city.

A brief pursuit ensued before the suspect stopped and engaged officers, Lynn said.

"Our officers took the action that they felt was necessary to defend themselves," Lynn told reporters at a news conference.

WATCH: Fort Lauderdale police chief discusses fatal shooting of murder suspect

Fort Lauderdale police chief discusses fatal shooting of Port St. Lucie murder suspect

The suspect was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Port St. Lucie police identified the suspect as Manuel Sanabria, who was wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of another man Monday night.

Lynn wouldn't say how the suspect "engaged" the officers, but he said several officers opened fire.

Fort Lauderdale police spokeswoman Casey Liening later said Sanabria got out of his truck holding a piece of a gun and pointed it at officers, "taking a shooting stance," prompting officers to shoot.

Port St. Lucie police Sgt. John Dellacroce said Sanabria, 38, fled in a silver Dodge Ram pickup truck after Monday night's shooting outside a home on Northwest Duke Circle.

Aerial video from NBC affiliate WTVJ showed a silver Dodge Ram pickup truck surrounded by police tape.

Joseph Pruit said he was home Tuesday morning when he heard the gunshots.

"I was just laying on the couch watching cartoons," he said.

Joseph Pruit heard gunshots from police-involved shooting that killed Manuel Sanabria
Joseph Pruit says he was watching cartoons on his couch when he heard the gunshots in a police-involved shooting that killed Port St. Lucie murder suspect Manuel Sanabria.

Pruit said he heard the loud sounds and dropped to the ground until the shooting stopped.

"And then I peeped out the window to see what the hell was going on," he said.

What Pruit and the rest of his Fort Lauderdale community eventually got to see was yellow police tape and police cars blocking off the scene. Bullet casings were scattered about near the intersection of Northwest Seventh Street and Northwest 14th Way.

"Waking up early in the morning with a shootout, that's bad," Pruit said.

During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Port St. Lucie Police Chief John Bolduc said the victim in Monday night's shooting drove to Sanabria's home to visit his wife and was confronted by Sanabria.

WATCH: Port St. Lucie police chief discusses murder suspect Manuel Sanabria

Port St. Lucie police chief discusses murder suspect Manuel Sanabria

"He was shot multiple times," Bolduc said. "There were 34 shell casings at the scene. It's kind of difficult to tell exactly how many times he was actually struck."

Bolduc said Sanabria had moved to Port St. Lucie from Broward County and still had friends and family there.

Although the relationship between Sanabria's wife and the victim wasn't immediately known, Bolduc said it appears "this confrontation was motivated by the husband's disapproval of that relationship."

Bolduc categorized the shooting as a targeted attack.

"I would say that it was a very deliberate act to fire a gun that many times," Bolduc said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was investigating the police-involved shooting. Liening said the officers who opened fire have been placed on administrative leave, per department policy, pending the outcome of the investigation.

If you have any information regarding the 2007 crimes with ties to the Town Center at Boca Raton, call Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 800-458-TIPS. Tipsters could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. You can remain anonymous.

You can also contact the detectives assigned to these cold cases using the information below:

Detective Scott Hanley
Boca Raton Police Department
shanley@myboca.us
561-338-1344

Detective William Springer
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
springerw@pbso.org
561-688-4013