Published October 2nd, 2022
A Jacksonville, Florida police officer is recovering after being shot during a response to a burglary on Sunday evening. At approximately 10:50 p.m., Jacksonville officers responded to a reported burglary in progress. Upon arrival, the officers were ambushed by an armed assailant who opened fire, striking one of the officers in the back. The officers returned fire, but in the hours afterward, it was not clear if the suspect had been hit. He then fled the scene in a car he stole from the property, resulting in a 20-mile pursuit. The pursuit ended when the man crashed the vehicle into a median barrier on the Dames Point Bridge. He then ran out of the vehicle and jumped off the bridge into the river below. Officers spotted the man trying to swim away, but lost sight of him in the darkness. A Search and Rescue team found the body of a deceased male, believed to be the assailant, and a handgun from the river several hours later. The injured officer, who was shot in the back, was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released. According to a statement made by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief Brian Kee at a press conference, the officer was wearing a department-issued ballistic-resistant vest, which “may have saved his life.”
