WEST PALM BEACH — The bullet that struck a West Palm Beach police officer during an exchange of gunfire with an armed civilian on Oct. 7 came from another police officer’s gun, according to a forensic review that police made public on Oct. 14.
Emmanuel McRae remains in custody after police alleged that he fired at least 10 shots at officers who responded to an altercation at a home on the 300 block of Baker Drive.
Investigators said weapons fired 22 rounds on the morning of Oct. 7 as McRae and two police officers exchanged gunfire outside the home, off Congress Avenue near Interstate 95.
McRae turned himself in and faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law-enforcement officer. He remains in custody at the Palm Beach County Jail.
“These findings do not change the fact that Emmanuel McRae fired upon our officers. The criminal charges against McRae remain,” a police department spokesperson said in a prepared statement.
McRae’s arrest report indicated that one officer sustained a gunshot wound to the lower right side of his ballistic vest, causing bruising and bleeding. The officer received medical care at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
The department said it sent the round recovered from the vest to a crime laboratory to determine its origin.
According to a police report, the situation unfolded at about 2 a.m. on Oct. 7 after a woman called 911 to report a disturbance between two men inside the home. The caller said one man had a gun.
Two officers arrived in marked vehicles. One retrieved his department-issued rifle, approached the property line and announced his presence. A man identified as McRae fired at least 10 shots at the officer using a handgun, according to the arrest report. The officer returned fire as he moved to a safer location.
The second officer also returned fire using his department-issued 9 mm handgun. The city’s ShotSpotter system recorded two separate volleys of 11 shots apiece.
According to the report, one witness told investigators he got into a fight with McRae that night and demanded that he collect his belongings, including firearms, and leave the residence.
Another man told investigators he observed the fight and took a firearm that was near McRae and hid it. He described seeing McRae exit the home and begin shooting in the direction of the police officers.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Forensic review shows that West Palm Beach police officer was struck by friendly fire
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
