Police: AL kidnapping suspect killed in FL shootout

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, AL (WBRC) - The search for a couple wanted in a multi-state crime spree, including Alabama, ended in a deadly shootout.

Blake Fitzgerald, 31, was killed and Brittany Harper, 31, was wounded in the leg after a chase and shootout with law enforcement in northwest Florida, near Pensacola, according to Lt. Ken York of Vestavia Hills Police

Escambia County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Amber Southard said the chase started in Escambia County, FL and ended in Santa Rosa County last night.

Southard said multiple shots were fired near Garcon Point and Saragon Lane.

Fitzgerald and Harper were wanted on robbery and kidnapping charges in Alabama in a crime spree that began in Tuscaloosa on Sunday morning when authorities say they kidnapped a night clerk at the Microtel Inn and Suites.

"It ended just as I had expected it to end, but I'm just glad it is over and now the healing for everyone involved can begin," said Kyle Dease, the night clerk who was kidnapped in Tuscaloosa on Sunday.

The couple also faced charges in the kidnapping and robbery of a Vestavia Hills woman and the robbery of a McDonald's in Hoover across from the Riverchase Galleria.

They are also suspected of an armed robbery and kidnapping in Perry, GA on Monday, Feb. 1. The suspects later let the woman they kidnapped from a gas station out at an exit on the interstate.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said Fitzgerald robbed an Alvin's Island store, which sells beach gear and clothing, along U.S. Highway 98 in Destin around noon. Harper was with him at the time.

That same afternoon, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office says a Piggly Wiggly clerk was robbed at gunpoint. That crime scene is very close to where Fitzgerald and Harper were last seen crossing into Alabama. However, the Escambia County Sheriff's Office has not confirmed the identities of those suspects.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.

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