A Florida murder suspect reportedly told cops they’d “have to kill” him before he’d surrender from a stand-off Saturday night — then cops shot him dead.
The unidentified suspect refused to be taken into custody and allegedly told Florida law enforcement from his vehicle, “I’m not getting out! You are going to have to shoot me; you will have to kill me,” Local 10 reported. The suspect then waved a pistol and pointed it at an officer, whose colleagues opened fire and fatally struck the wanted man as a result.
BREAKING: A man who was connected to a Broward County murder investigation was shot in Jacksonville by police Friday evening after they attempted to apprehend him, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. https://t.co/JAtXm2Kjw7
— News4JAX (@wjxt4) May 20, 2023
The suspect, who hailed from Broward County, Florida, was sought by detectives in relation to an investigation of a murder which occurred a week earlier. Broward Country officers reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) for investigative aid in the case. (RELATED: Video Shows 13-Year-Old Shooting At Florida Officer, Police Say)
Investigators on behalf of JSO obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s belongings Friday, at one point uncovering a pair of firearms.
In turn, Jacksonville investigators called in deputies wielding “special weapons” to the scene when they tracked the suspect down in a dark sedan in Orange Park, located in Clay County, Florida.
The man allegedly flashed a gun aimed at a deputy after yelling out at the officers, prompting two deputies to open fire. (Neither of the two deputies who shot at the suspect were named.) (RELATED: REPORT: Man Dies In Police Custody After Cellmate Allegedly Gave Him Drugs)
“An officer is not required to let someone shoot at them before they use deadly force,” Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, accompanied by JSO’s Chief of Investigations Alan Parker and Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook, said at a press conference.
#JSO is on scene of an Officer Involved Shooting, involving our officers, that occurred in Clay County. Additional information will follow. pic.twitter.com/L4xhlYLQSV
— Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) May 19, 2023
Following the stand-off which escalated to gunfire, cops “pulled him out of the vehicle when it was safe to do so,” Parker said. “They began rendering aid. He did not survive his injuries.”
The deputy duo which opened fire on the suspect have been placed on paid administrative leave following the incident, according to the outlet.