“The purpose was to try to get him some help safely, unfortunately this is the way that it turned out”, said Chief Waters.
A suicidal man was shot and killed by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer inside a Mandarin home this morning.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office reports the shooting happened in a residential area north of Losco Road, on Chesapeake Lane near Mandarin Station Drive.
A witness called police early this morning and reported a man was armed with a knife and attempted to commit suicide. JSO Chief of Investigations T.K. Waters said officers encountered the person just inside the doorway and gave loud commands to drop the knife.
“Officers at that point used their conducted electrical weapon to attempt a less lethal means of disarming him. That was ineffective”, said Waters.
After shouting commands a second time to drop the knife, the man raised it again, and Officer B.L. Kelly fired her service weapon one time, killing him.
“The purpose was to try to get him some help safely, unfortunately this is the way that it turned out”, said Chief Waters.
This is Officer Kelly’s first officer-involved shooting. Chief Waters said the officers were wearing body cameras at the time of the response and shooting, but video was not immediatedly provided.
The man was not identified pending next of kin notification. Police had been called to the same address in early September of this year, but the situation de-escalated before SWAT arrived.