DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – A man is in the hospital with critical injuries after an officer-involved shooting at a San Marco hotel, and during the investigation at the Scottish Inns on Philips Highway, a man was found shot to death in one of the rooms, police said.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, officers arrived at the Scottish Inns on Philips Highway around 3 a.m. Saturday after reports that a person was shot.
Three officers arrived and spoke with two people who were staying at the inn.
Both people said they were fine, and no shooting had taken place.
As officers were leaving, they say they saw a car drive into the parking lot and a man in the parking lot shot at the car. The bullet hit the left taillight.
The occupants of the vehicle, who did not know the shooter, later said they didn’t realize they were being shot at.
Officers saw the man fire, ran down from the balcony to the parking lot and surrounded the man who fired. They told him to drop his weapon, police said.
According to JSO Chief Brian Kee, after the suspect refused to drop his weapon, all three officers opened fire.
A man staying at the hotel who asked not to be identified said he heard it all.
“I heard police officers screaming, ‘Freeze! Get on the ground! Get on the ground!” he said. “It was ‘pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop pop.’”
The suspect fell down in the parking lot, JFRD paramedics came and started treatment and the man was arrested and taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, according to JSO.
“Where is the love and the unity? We need to stop the violence,” the witness said.
JSO later said that during the follow-up investigation into the officer-involved shooting, officers at the scene were alerted that someone in the hotel needed medical attention. They found a man dead inside a room from at least one gunshot wound.
Police said it’s unclear if that man is related to the call officers were initially dispatched to or to the officer-involved shooting scenario.
Anyone with information about the shooting at the hotel is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
All three officers are on administrative leave, per standard policy. They were not injured.
The man who was shot by the officers is facing two counts of attempted murder for firing at the car and three counts of aggravated assault against the officers.
This is the 11th officer-involved shooting in Duval County this year, and the second one this week.