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Driver identified in officer-involved shooting and police chase near downtown Fort Myers

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Posted at 3:38 PM, May 05, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-08 13:10:27-04

UPDATE 5/6:

Fort Myers Police say David James Dotts, 37, of Fort Myers, was the driver involved in the car chase and shooting near the Edison Bridge yesterday.

According to his arrest record, Dotts was charged with hit and run and resisting an officer back in 2020.

UPDATE 3:32 P.M.:

Fort Myers Police have confirmed this was an officer-involved shooting.

At approximately 9:45 a.m., officers responded to a suspicious vehicle that attempted to enter a secure area of the Fort Myers Police Department headquarters located at 2210 Widman Way.

Officers tried to speak with the subject who was the sole occupant of a silver sedan.

The driver then attempted to drive out of the parking lot and nearly struck an officer.

Officers then followed the driver and a chase ensued to Fowler Street just South of Thompson, where one of the officers shot at the suspect.

The sedan then drove into the retention pond where several officers entered the water to rescue the suspect who did not exit the vehicle.

The suspect was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital for medical treatment.

The officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with department policy.

This is an ongoing investigation.


UPDATE 2:20 P.M.:

Due to an investigation, Fort Myers Police are rerouting Southbound traffic from the Edison Bridge. Please use the Caloosahatchee Bridge to travel South into Fort Myers. All Southbound traffic from the Edison Bridge is being diverted Eastbound and Westbound onto Second Street resulting in not being able to access Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.


Police continue to investigate events that led to a suspect being shot on Fowler and Thompson Streets this morning.

Police say they were called to Fowler Street just before 10 a.m. this morning.

A witness says a grey car came flying down the street with police chasing after it. He heard three shots fired before the car busted through a gate and plunged into a pond near downtown Fort Myers.

According to the witness, the driver didn't get out of the car and several people jumped in to retrieve him.

Fort Myers Police have not confirmed if the suspect has been charged with a crime.

Traffic from the Edison Bridge was diverted to Second Street for most of the day.