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Reward offered for suspected cop killer

  • Story Highlights
  • NEW: $22,000 reward for information leading to arrest of Shawn Sherwin Labeet
  • One officer killed, three wounded after man fires high-powered rifle at them
  • Source says suspect's mother, brother among people being questioned
  • Driver was stopped after maneuvering erratically, police say
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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A man suspected of shooting four Miami-Dade police officers, one fatally, after a traffic stop Thursday, remained the subject of an intense manhunt Thursday night.

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Police say Shawn Sherwin Labeet is being sought after the shootings.

Authorities pledged to work around the clock until Shawn Sherwin Labeet is captured.

Local, state and federal agencies were assisting in the search, police Cmdr. Linda O'Brien said, and a Black Hawk helicopter was being utilized.

"We are continuing to pursue all leads until we find" Labeet, said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez. Video Watch a report on the manhunt »

A $22,000 reward was offered Thursday night for information leading to Labeet's arrest, O'Brien said.

The shootings happened about 11 a.m. as the officers were on a burglary detail at a housing complex in Cutler Bay, Florida, Alvarez said. They saw a vehicle driving erratically, he said, stopped it and confronted the man police believe is Labeet.

The man got out of the car and opened fire with an assault rifle, Alvarez said. "Without any remorse, Labeet left the officers there to die and fled the scene."

The rifle used in the shooting was found at a nearby canal, but authorities say the man may have another weapon.

Alvarez said the officer who died was 37 years old and survived by a wife and two young children. He had been with the department since 2003.

A second officer, 31-year-old Jody Wright, remained hospitalized Thursday night.

Her father, Dennis Dalley, told reporters she had undergone surgery as doctors tried to save her leg. He said he remains hopeful they will do so, but that will require many more surgeries. Dalley said Wright has been an officer for about a year and a half.

The two other officers, ages 36 and 34, had been released from the hospital Thursday night, Alvarez told reporters.

"By the grace of God, we don't have four officers dead, because he certainly tried his best," he said. "There were multiple, and I mean multiple, rounds fired at the police officers.... That man didn't hesitate to shoot."

There was initial confusion regarding the identity of the suspect, Alvarez said, because Labeet's girlfriend, who was apprehended at the scene of the shootings, gave authorities the wrong name. "She purposely misled and delayed our investigation," he said.

Labeet, 25, had stolen the identity of another man, Kevin Wehner, 30, Alvarez said, and had been using Wehner's name and identification. That was the name initially given to police.

After Wehner's name and picture were released to the media, the real Wehner contacted the Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff's Office near his home. Jacksonville authorities said Wehner had come to the sheriff's office and been interviewed, and police were confident he was not involved and was a victim of identity theft.

The girlfriend will likely face charges for providing false information, Alvarez said.

Labeet has an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault from September 2002, police said Thursday night.

Meanwhile, a law enforcement source said officers are working three locations in adjacent Broward County. The suspect's mother, brother, a woman believed to be the brother's girlfriend and her two children were being questioned at the Broward County Sheriff's Office, the source said.

Officers also were at a grocery store warehouse where the suspect's mother works in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and at the mother's home in Margate, the source said.

A car believed connected to Labeet was found at a Target store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a few hours after the shooting, police said. It was occupied by a man, woman and two children, who were being interviewed, O'Brien said.

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The car, a 2007 black Pontiac Vibe, was rented to Labeet's brother, Shane Labeet, according to Kevin Meyer, a spokesman for the car rental company.

Parts of the complex where the shooting occurred were evacuated. Alvarez said Thursday night he had no information on when residents might be allowed back in their homes. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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