CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A man died Saturday evening after exchanging gunfire with Clay County deputies, authorities said.
On Monday afternoon, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Rudy Duvivier, 32.
The Sheriff’s Office said it responded around 10:50 p.m. to an apartment complex on Burwick Avenue off Blanding Boulevard after receiving several calls about shots fired.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrived about five minutes later and encountered an armed man who then began firing shots at them. The deputies returned fire, striking the man, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A woman, who did not wish to be identified, told News4Jax she and her boyfriend were watching TV when they heard the first shots not far from their unit.
“The gunshots, I counted, like, seven,” she said. “I was, like, ‘Wait a second?’ I was kind of realizing what it was.”
Moments later, the woman said, they heard more.
“They kind of stopped for a little bit,” she recalled. “I went to the restroom and then I heard the vibration and yelled, ‘They started shooting again?’ And then said, ‘Yeah, they started shooting back and forth, back and forth.’”
The man was taken to Orange Park Medical Center, where he died around 11:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators said his identity will not be released until they have contacted his family.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, this was the first deputy-involved shooting for each of the three deputies involved. The deputies, who have law enforcement experience ranging from three to six years, were not injured.
“We appreciate our community’s continued support, and I ask that we keep all of the individuals involved in tonight’s incident in your thoughts and prayers,” Sheriff Michelle Cook.
The woman who News4Jax spoke with said she’s grateful she and her boyfriend are safe.
“I moved to Clay because I feel safer in Clay County for some reason. I don’t know if that’s just a mentality that I have,” she said. “So to see things like this so close to home, it’s sad, you know?”
At the request of the Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement responded to investigate.
