JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Jacksonville Beach police on Tuesday clarified "a great deal of misinformation circulating in the public" regarding the shooting death of a man at Nippers Beach Grille last month.
Police said that at about 8 p.m. June 26, a group of men got into a verbal altercation that quickly became a fight outside the restaurant at 2309 Beach Boulevard.
During the fight, 40-year-old Zachariah Tipton was shot once and killed.
Among the misinformation, police said the shooter is not and has never been a law enforcement officer. They stopped short of released the shooter's name or other details.
"To the best of our knowledge, no one directly involved in this incident is or ever was a law enforcement officer," Sgt. Thomas Crumley wrote in a news release. "This was a dispute between members and/or associates of two motorcycle clubs that ended in violence. The deceased was struck by one round and died as a result of that wound."
The Police Department has filed the case with the State Attorney's Office for review and any potential further investigation. At this time, no charges have been filed against anyone involved.
Due to filing decisions remaining to be made, police said, the shooter's information along with the other people involved are not being released at this time.
Police said when the filing decision is made, they will release that information.
Tipton had a wife and three children. He and his wife owned a glass windows cleaning business in Fernandina Beach. He loved boats and riding motorcycles.