Panama city shooting: Suspected shooter barricaded in Florida apartment named as Kevin Holroyd

Witnesses say that the shooter opened fire at a Swat vehicle

Police say a suspected shooter who had barricaded himself inside an apartment complex in Panama City, Florida, has been brought "down". The incident is related to a "suspicious death" investigation in a nearby county.

It is unclear how many people may have been injured in the shooting, but at least one person has been transported to a nearby hospital with what a government official called a "flesh wound".

Police later identified Kevin Holroyd as the suspect in the shooting, and it was not clear if he was killed or only injured after they broke through a barricaded door into the apartment he was in.

Witnesses have said that they saw Swat team members responding to the active shooting incident, and that they heard more than 50 shots fired.

"[The suspect] is barricaded inside an apartment, and at this time they're still trying to make contact," Caitlin Lawrence, the public information officer for the City of Panama City, told The Independent earlier in the day before police breached the apartment.

Kim Coram, the co-owner of the nearby restaurant Charlie Coram's Place, told The Independent that the gunfire stopped just after 1pm local time, but that she and her customers heard several rounds of fire, with 20 to 30 shots each round. Ms Coram said that her restaurant locked down after they heard those shots, and that there are police cars, unmarked police, ambulances, fire trucks, and an armoured Swat vehicle on the scene. She also said a drone and police helicopter are in the air above the apartment complex.

"The shooter unloaded 20 or more shots in the armoured vehicle," Ms Coram, whose brother is on the Swat team, said.

The police response to the active shooter blocked off traffic on at least one road, leading to congestion in other parts of the city. Local publications have posted photos that show police lying on the ground or taking cover behind vehicles with their firearms drawn.

A video posted online by a woman who appears to be a resident of the apartment complex shows a chaotic scene with fire fighters and others kneeling on the ground while dozens of gun shots can be heard. At one point, a police officer rushes through the woman's home wearing a bullet proof vest while carrying what appears to be an automatic rifle.

The Bay County Sheriff's office confirmed that their officers are working alongside the local police force to end the active shooter situation earlier in the day. Reports indicated that the nearby Walton County Sheriff's office had deployed its Swat team to assist in the shoot out response.

The public information officer for the Walton County Sheriff's Department confirmed that they were assisting with the incident in Panama City. Florida Governor Rick Scott said that he has spoken with local officials to inform them that his office is prepared to provide them with any assistance from state police.

"I've spoken with Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford to offer any state law enforcement assistance his office may need," Mr Scott wrote in a tweet.

The Florida Department of Law, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were all providing assistance, according to Ms Lawrence. The intersection near the apartment is one of the busiest in the area, she said.