A 24-year-old police officer from Orlando is continuing to recover after suffering gunshot wounds on Tuesday July 23. He was shot during a traffic stop. The wound was sustained in his stomach sometime around 2:30 AM near Columbia Street on Bruton Boulevard.

A suspect is in custody for this violent criminal offense. Demetrius Patterson is 23 years old and has actually faced 42 previous arrest charges. He was arrested in connection with the shooting after being convinced to leave a nearby home. He faces charges of attempted murder as well as possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

There was a 7-year-old girl in the home with the suspect, which meant that regular police tactics couldn't be used. They couldn't afford to injure the youngster. As a result they tried to talk out the suspect for hours, since use of force could have ended in a rather tragic manner.

Patterson has been arrested 17 times since he turned nine. Of his 42 charges, 16 have been misdemeanors and the remaining 26 were felonies. Orlando police commented on his previous arrests. Naturally it may be seen as rather concerning that an individual with that sort of record had continued to commit various crimes.

Patterson was taken to a hospital, ostensibly as the result of a little gunplay. He was subsequently booked into the Orange County Jail on Tuesday afternoon. There doesn't seem to be much said about bail at the present time.

A second individual somehow connected to the shooting was apparently hiding in a nearby wooded area. He is not being charged at this time, according to a police report. The Orlando Police Department raised concerns about repeat offenders.

Apparently the majority of suspects in recent police shootings have been arrested previously. They are still on the streets, however. Repeat offenders are a serious problem for those who work with corrections. In fact an entire field exists to study them and examine faults in the legal framework. Police have recently become concerned because of the problem of repeat offenders. They are afraid that similar crimes against officers might eventually become more commonplace.