Three suspects are in custody following the shooting death of 30-year-old Florida Wildlife Conservation officer Julian Keen Jr., who was killed on Sunday morning.
Police responded to reports of a shooting incident in LaBelle Sunday morning and found the officer. Fox 13 reported that investigators “currently have three suspects in custody and are questioning them at this time”:
It is with heavy hearts that we confirm the tragic death of Officer Julian Keen. Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this difficult time. #Officer #Florida #LawEnforcement pic.twitter.com/SJdgwqcQ5S
— MyFWC (@MyFWC) June 14, 2020
According to the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Keen was off-duty at the time of the shooting. WEARTV reported that he was “shot and killed while off-duty trying to stop a hit-and-run driver,” citing authorities:
FHP Command Officers are praying and remembering our fallen but NEVER forgotten brother, FWC Officer Julian Keen, who…
Posted by Florida Highway Patrol Command Officers Association on Sunday, June 14, 2020
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) also indicated that Keen was killed “while reportedly taking action off-duty on a hit and run crash.”
“Sheriff Russ Gibson & OCSO stand with the residents of the State of Florida as we mourn the loss of Officer Julian Keen from the Florida Fish and Wildlife, who lost his life early this morning in Southwest Florida while reportedly taking action off-duty on a hit and run crash,” OCSO said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the entire Law Enforcement family,” the sheriff’s office added:
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the entire Law Enforcement family.
— Osceola Sheriff (@OsceolaSheriff) June 14, 2020
“We are deeply saddened by the death of FWC Officer Keen. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, members of FWC, friends and community,” Hendry County Sheriff Steven Whidden said, vowing that they will “do everything [they] can to bring about justice to those guilty in his shooting death.”
“We all knew Officer Keen, and he wasn’t only our brother-but a role model for the community, he will be missed,” Whidden added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, which is leading the investigation into the fatal shooting.
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