1 dead following double shooting by Jacksonville police
One man is dead following a Sunday night police chase in the Moncrief community that ended in an officer-involved shooting, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
The incident began about 9:20 p.m. when Officer N.E. Lawson tried to pull over a car going south in a northbound lane on Moncrief Road at West 45th Street.
The driver would not stop, then hit another vehicle. The car crashed into the base of a pedestrian bridge nearby, Chief T.K. Waters said.
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The officer stopped and approached the crashed car, and that’s when he had to pull his weapon, Waters said.
“Some sort of exchange took place and he ended up firing his service weapon several times,” Waters said. “Two individuals were transported to the hospital, where one is deceased.”
The second man was hospitalized in critical condition. The two people inside the second vehicle suffered minor injuries in that crash, Waters said.
Police said a rifle was found in the back seat of the crashed car, according to news partner First Coast News.
Police did not identify the men but described them as in their early 20s. This was Lawson’s first officer-involved shooting after being on the force for a year and seven months, Waters said. He was wearing a body camera.
No more details of the incident were released at the scene as the Sheriff’s Office investigates, and the State Attorney’s Office pursues its own investigation.
Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549