PPD Covers Palafox Shooting Update, Knock and Announce Ruling, Red Light Camera Strain and More

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Pensacola Police Department PIO Mike Wood joined Pensacola's Morning News Tuesday with a comprehensive update on the investigation into the Fourth of July shooting near Palafox Street that killed a 19-year-old — and touched on several other significant topics including a major Florida Supreme Court ruling and a resource challenge growing out of the red light camera program.

Palafox Shooting — Investigation Ongoing, Public Footage Needed

PPD is building what could be an hour-long continuous video record of the shooting that occurred near Palafox and Intendencia around 1 to 2 a.m. Sunday July 5th. Wood says investigators are reviewing body camera footage and static surveillance cameras and are asking the public to submit any cell phone video recorded before, during, or after the incident. He says there is a critical three-second gap in the current video record that could be the key to the entire case — and that piece may be sitting on somebody's phone right now.

Wood says investigators have spoken with the mother of the 19-year-old victim and have promised her that justice will be served. He was direct — homicide charges can and will be brought once investigators have a case solid enough to hold up in court. He urged people who have seen social media comments suggesting no murder charge is coming to disregard them. The investigation is ongoing and the department is taking its time to do it right.

Three gunmen have been identified. Wood confirmed that investigators believe the conflict between the groups involved has been ongoing for about two years. Whether the shooting involved reciprocal gunfire is still under investigation. Whether the victim was the intended target is also still unknown.

A woman who received the alleged shooter's gun after the incident has been charged with tampering with evidence. The weapon has been recovered.

Wood also highlighted something that has not gotten enough attention — Deputy Chief Matt Coverdale personally chased down and tackled a man who was firing mortars at people in the crowd earlier that night. The man was found to have a gun in his waistband. Wood says PPD had 50 more officers deployed downtown this Fourth of July than last year and that all hands on deck was not just a phrase — command staff including the chief and deputy chief were on the street.

Anyone with footage is urged to contact PPD directly or call Crime Stoppers anonymously.

Knock and Announce Ruling

The Florida Supreme Court ruled last week that evidence gathered during a search where officers failed to properly knock and announce can no longer be automatically suppressed at trial. Previously the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine meant improper warrant service could get all related evidence thrown out. Now the evidence stays but the officer could face a criminal misdemeanor charge. Wood says the ruling changes nothing for PPD — officers arrive in marked cars, announce loudly, and have always followed proper knock and announce procedures.

Red Light Camera Backlog

The volume of red light camera violations in Pensacola is creating a genuine resource strain on the department. Wood says violations are stacking up faster than officers can review them and PPD is exploring compensating officers to review citations in an off-duty capacity — similar to how officers are paid for off-duty patrol work at businesses and events. He says he hopes increased driver awareness of the cameras will eventually bring violation numbers down but says for now the backlog is a real challenge.

Remote Start Vehicles

Wood clarified a question left over from a previous discussion — remote start vehicles are legal to leave running unattended because modern vehicles with that technology are built with anti-theft systems that prevent the car from being driven without the key fob present. If someone breaks in and tries to drive it the car will simply shut down. Leaving a car running without that technology remains a violation.

Airbag Disabling

Wood closed with a consumer note — it is illegal for mechanics, dealerships, or repair shops to disable a functioning airbag without permission from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Medical exemptions do exist for people whose conditions put them at greater risk from an airbag than from a crash but paperwork at the state level is required.