Florida police release video of shootout at home to identify suspects

Florida deputies have arrested four people and are investigating a shootout that is said to have occurred at a home in Riverview, Fla.

According to police, officers responded just after midnight on Wednesday to a report  by a neighbour who said they had heard gunshots.

Police say three suspects, two of which were armed, entered the residence and allegedly exchanged gunfire with those inside.

Video released by police shows three people searching the home, before loud bangs are heard sounding similar to gunshots. Several flashes can also be seen on camera as the sounds continue.

Two of the suspects can also be seen examining a door with blinds, before two more noises ring out and the pair quickly backs away as a piercing noise goes off and the three suspects disappear from the camera.

READ MORE: Evansburg RCMP officer recovering after shootout with murder suspect west of Edmonton

After police arrived, the three suspects had disappeared.

Sheriff’s spokesperson Larry McKinnon told the Tampa Bay Times that the home invasion appeared to be drug-related.

The Times also reports that August 2017 search warrants show investigators had visited the home in July after Tampa Electric Company records showed an “unusually” high power usage.

Detectives say they smelled the odour of marijuana when the door was opened and they discovered what was described as an illegal indoor marijuana growing operation during the search.

Though the three suspects had fled, police say there were still arrests made with four people in the home being taken into custody, with NBC affiliate WFLA reporting police said the house was used to package and distribute marijuana.

“The way it looks is that there was nobody really living there on a permanent basis. It was mainly for the purpose of storing, packaging and distributing marijuana,” McKinnon said in an interview with NBC.

Police said a search warrant was executed and a total of 1,203.2 grams of marijuana were seized inside the home, as well as a Western Field shotgun and a Keltic Sub 2000. A large sum of money was also seized.

Two men and two women were taken into custody and held on various charges, including possession of marijuana with the intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Three of the people charged also face a count of place where controlled substances are illegally kept.

Police said in a news release Friday that no injuries have been reported and the three suspects have not been found.