A Lee County deputy shot Thursday while attempting a traffic stop that left the driver of a fleeing vehicle dead is recovering.
The incident, which began on I-75 in North Fort Myers, led the deputy into Buckingham after Jimmie Lee Matthews, 31, of Lehigh Acres, refused to stop and made several evasive maneuvers, officials said.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle came to a stop at Cemetery Road and Stratton Road in the Buckingham area of Lee County.
Three men fled from the mini-van. One, identified as Gregory Coleman, 24, of Lehigh Acres, was taken into custody with the assistance of a Sheriff's Office K-9.
Matthews, though, was involved in a struggle with the deputy who initiated the traffic stop, officials said.
During the altercation, the deputy and driver each sustained gunshot wounds.
Matthews died as a result of those injuries. The deputy was transported to the hospital and is recovering, officials said Monday.
Officials declined to provide additional details including whether shots were exchanged.
The third occupant, who fled from the vehicle, has not been located but is not deemed a threat to the community.
The investigation continues.
In an unrelated incident, the next day, a tragic murder/suicide investigation began on Teasdale Drive in North Fort Myers.
"These were two individual incidents that coincidentally occurred in a two-day span in the same general area," said Lee County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lt. Larry King.
They occurred at opposite ends of North Fort Myers.
"While it is not common, it is certainly not unheard of," he said. "Fortunately, they both ended without further threat to our community."
