JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Friday released the name of the man who officers say was subdued by a K-9, stunned and critically injured after what police described as a “random” shooting Thursday on the Westside that left a resident dead.
Keith Bernard Hubbard, 38, was arrested on one count of attempted murder and three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, according to JSO.
“This case continues to be active and further charges are possible as detectives continue to work through the evidence,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Friday.
At a news briefing Thursday, JSO Chief of Investigations said Brian Kee said that a murder charge was pending.
The Sheriff’s Office also released a photo of the AK-47 that police say was used by the suspect during the incident Thursday. News4JAX also obtained surveillance video from the quiet Westside neighborhood where the shooting happened, and in the video, the booming sounds of an AK-47 can be heard ringing out Thursday morning.
Kee said that around 9 a.m. Thursday, 911 callers reported gunshots in a wooded area between Wesconnett Boulevard and Pernecia Drive. Kee said a man armed with a rifle was firing shots, and when another man exited his home on Pernecia Drive to see what the gunfire was about, the resident was shot and killed.
“Right now, we don’t have a motive. We don’t know why,” Kee said at the news conference Thursday afternoon. “We don’t believe that these two knew each other.”
The resident who was killed was described as one of the kindest people. A neighbor, Deborah Lowe, told News4JAX by phone that he was friendly and lived with his girlfriend.
“We didn’t know him personally, but we think he lived there about five years,” Lowe said. “Very friendly — he would walk his little dog every day in our neighborhood, always speak to us, we would speak to them.”
Around the time of the killing, according to JSO, another resident was calling police and lowering his blinds when he made contact with the shooter, who then fired rounds toward that person’s home, as well. That resident was not hit, Kee said.
Police and K-9 officers arrived at the scene and located the gunman, who was believed to be lying on his rifle, according to Kee. He said a K-9 engaged the man, who began to fight the dog.
“Striking him, potentially trying to gouge them, gouge his eyes,” Kee said. “Officers then try to get him handcuffed while the K-9 was trying to apprehend him. He was kicking and punching.”
Police then used a stun gun on the man, Kee said. After a struggle, according to Kee, the man — who was later identified as Hubbard — was handcuffed and taken into custody.
He was transported to a hospital and underwent surgery, Kee said. As of Thursday afternoon, he was reportedly in critical but stable condition, and on Friday, JSO said Hubbard had been absentee booked into the Duval County jail.
No officers were hurt in the incident, News4JAX was told.
Kee said this appears to be a random incident.
“We’re still doing the background to figure out what, why this individual did these things. We have no idea, but we are looking into it and, obviously, very curious as to what the motive was,” Kee said. “But it does appear random. There’s no connection that we can find at this point so far.”
Neighbors said they believe Hubbard was along the tree line in the community before the shooting.
“Very scary, very scary because it could’ve been us. It could’ve been any of us,” Lowe said. “There’s woods all back behind our house all the way to 118th Street.”
According to Duval County court records, Hubbard is going through a divorce, and his wife filed a domestic violence injunction against him last year, saying he was acting erratic and telling her people were after him and trying to kill him. She pointed out in the injunction that he owns an AK-47.