Jacksonville standoff ends in gunfire as nine officers open fire on armed suspect

Evening confrontation turns deadly after tense one-and-a-half-hour standoff

A tense standoff in Jacksonville ended in tragedy when nine officers opened fire on a man who reached into a rifle case after refusing repeated commands to surrender. The incident unfolded Monday evening and lasted nearly ninety minutes before escalating into deadly gunfire.

The incident begins near a boat ramp

The confrontation started around 6 p.m. at the Dutton Island Preserve Boat Ramp, where a couple was fishing. According to officials, the couple suddenly heard gunfire and looked up to see a 37-year-old man firing a rifle into the water.

Concerned, the man from the couple approached the shooter to ask if he was alright. Instead of reassurance, the armed man allegedly pointed the weapon at him and declared that the only way authorities would take him was “dead.”

Attempt to de-escalate quickly spirals

Despite the threat, the man tried to calm the suspect down. At one point, the suspect asked the couple for water. The pair attempted to offer him a bottle of Gatorade, but this gesture only intensified the situation. The suspect turned the rifle on the man once again, pressing it to his head.

A struggle broke out, during which the bystander managed to wrestle the gun away. In the process, the rifle was emptied of its magazine. The firearm was then discarded, but the threat was far from over.

Car chase and crashes escalate the danger

After losing control of his rifle, the suspect fled toward his vehicle. The couple returned to their own car, but moments later, the man drove directly at them in a head-on attempt to ram their vehicle. He sideswiped their car, struck another vehicle on Mayport Road, and eventually crashed into bushes and a utility pole.

The standoff with officers

Authorities arrived quickly at the crash scene around 6:05 p.m. and began negotiating with the suspect, who barricaded himself inside his vehicle. For more than an hour, officers tried to persuade him to exit peacefully.

At approximately 7:30 p.m., the situation reached its breaking point. The suspect picked up his rifle case and reached inside. Interpreting this as an imminent threat, nine officers fired their weapons simultaneously. The suspect was struck multiple times and died at the scene.

Aftermath and response

The fishing couple who first encountered the suspect was left shaken but unharmed. Officials later confirmed that the suspect’s prior criminal history was limited to minor traffic violations and criminal mischief, making the violent events even more unexpected.

This incident marks the fourteenth officer-involved shooting in Jacksonville this year.