Three officers were involved after police say a 71-year-old woman fired a handgun inside the department’s lobby.
PORT ORANGE, Fla. — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating after Port Orange officers shot a 71-year-old woman who police say fired a handgun inside the Police Department lobby Thursday morning before walking outside and encountering responding officers.
Police identified the woman as Linda Jean Croteau. Port Orange Police Chief Manuel Marino said Croteau entered the headquarters shortly after 8 a.m. Sept. 3 while carrying a handgun and interacted with civilian employees near the records section. Police say she displayed the weapon and remained in the lobby for several minutes before firing a round toward an area where employees were working.
No civilian employees were struck by the gunfire, Marino said. A radio call reporting a shooting in progress brought officers toward the front of the building as Croteau left the lobby. Marino said she was still holding the firearm when officers confronted her outside.
Three Port Orange officers were involved in the shooting that followed, according to the chief. Croteau was struck and taken to a hospital. The Police Department said she was listed in critical condition. None of the officers was injured.
The encounter outside the headquarters is now under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The outside review separates the examination of officers’ use of force from the Port Orange Police Department, whose personnel were directly involved in the incident.
Authorities had not announced a motive as of Friday. Marino said investigators also were working to determine whether Croteau had previous interactions with the department and what led her to enter the building armed. Police have not announced criminal charges connected with the incident.
Witness accounts and video from outside the building are expected to be among the material investigators can examine as they reconstruct the encounter. Police have not publicly released officer body-camera footage or a complete timeline showing each action immediately before officers fired.
The investigation must also account for the earlier gunfire inside the headquarters. Marino said the round fired in the lobby went toward an area near the department’s property and evidence section, where employees were present. No employees suffered physical injuries.
The shooting disrupted normal operations at the headquarters on South Clyde Morris Boulevard as investigators processed the building and parking lot. Police said there was no continuing threat to the surrounding community after the incident and that all officers and employees were accounted for.
Croteau remained hospitalized while the investigation continued Friday. Authorities have not released a final determination about why she entered the police headquarters or the circumstances that led officers to fire outside the building.
Author note: Last updated September 4, 2026.