JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday released the identity of a man who was shot and killed amid what investigators described as a struggle with police.
The man was identified as Darian Q. Bryant, 26. According to the Sheriff’s Office, during a struggle Tuesday night with police, Bryant fired a shot and officers fired back, killing him.
“Once that happens, officers are trained to defend themselves and eliminate the threat,” explained retired JSO officer James Brown.
No officers were injured.
It’s the third time in 2022 that a Jacksonville officer has shot someone. In this incident, police said, Bryant was a suspected robber.
T.K. Waters, chief of investigations with the Sheriff’s Office, said police responded to a robbery in progress Tuesday evening on Normandy Boulevard. He said the suspect was tracked to an apartment complex on Lane Avenue, and when he came out with his hands in the air, the man paced back-and-forth, eventually running off again.
Brown said officers know that at any moment, a suspect can change course.
“In this day, and based on a lot of recent incidents involving police, you have individuals that sometimes, they want to comply, then they have a change of heart or they may be motivated by something else,” Brown said.
The Sheriff’s Office released a photo of the gun they said was used by the suspect. JSO said the shooting occurred in the area of Lane Avenue South and Normandy Boulevard.
Two officers who were involved were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in a shooting involving a police officer. The state attorney’s office will conduct an independent investigation.
Court records show Bryant has prior arrests for drug and weapons charges and resisting police that got him jail time and probation.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office no longer releases the names of the officers involved, citing Marsy’s Law.