David Harris and Martin Comas
Orlando Sentinel
EUSTIS, Fla. — A Eustis police captain was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center after he was shot Thursday near a grocery store, authorities said.
Capt. Gary Winheim, a 10-year veteran of the department who oversees criminal investigations, was reported in stable condition and his wife is by his side, according to Eustis Officer Lauren Brown.
Authorities are now searching for Jayson Colvin, whom they named as a suspect.
“He’s known within law enforcement due to prior contacts,” Brown said. “I would consider him as armed and dangerous.”
The shooting happened about 12:15 p.m. near the Winn-Dixie on State Road 19 at County Road 44, authorities said.
According to reports, Winheim was at a nearby Shell gas station when he reported that he heard gun shots fired.
After going to investigate, Winheim then exchanged shots with another person near the grocery store parking lot, Brown said.
“We heard a report on the radio that one of the officers is injured,” Brown said. “We’re still trying to piece it together....We got here in less than a minute....He was alert. He was talking. He’s fine.”
Winheim was in uniform but wasn’t wearing a body camera and didn’t have a dashcam in his patrol car, Brown said.
Police said a Umatilla junkyard is also part of the crime scene investigation.
Police from Mount Dora, Umatilla and the Florida Highway Patrol are assisting.
Colvin, 38, of Altoona, was arrested in March by Eustis police on drug charges and resisting and obstructing an officer without violence, according to the Lake County Jail.