Local

Man with hatchet on UF campus shot dead by police

A man armed with a hatchet was shot shot dead by Gainesville Police on the campus of the University of Florida. 

We're told local police departments were already looking for the suspect who had stabbed another person on the University of Florida campus earlier in the morning.

Shortly after 10am, a Gainesville Police officer saw the suspect in the parking lot of the Best Buy in Gainesville.  The officer identified himself and ordered the suspect to drop a hatchet that he had in his hand.
Police say the suspect ignored the commands and instead came towards the officer with the hatchet.  The officer fired multiple shots and hit the suspect more than once.   The suspect was transported to UF Health/Shands where he later died of his wounds.
Police ID the suspect as 28-year-old Michael Cravey of Gainesville. 

The officer was not injured, and his identity is not being released.  We're told he is a ranking, veteran officer with the agency.

"Our officers are asked to do a very difficult job and make decisions in a fraction of a second", said GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias.  "Today, our officer had to make a decision that saved his own life, and possibly others against a suspect that had already hurt another person."

Police are trying to find someone who may have witnessed the shooting.  We are told the person will be driving a older box-style sedan and may have witnessed the actual encounter.

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