JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An officer wounded in the line of duty in a shooting outside Baptist Medical Center South on Tuesday night remained in critical condition Wednesday afternoon but was stable, the hospital said in an update posted to social media.
Sources tell News4JAX the officer, who was shot in the face, is expected to recover.
The bullet lodged in the officer’s chest, after an encounter with a man whose erratic driving in the hospital parking lot drew the response of multiple officers, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Five officers then returned fire, striking the shooter and killing him, Sheriff T.K. Waters said in a briefing about the incident.
In its social media post on Wednesday afternoon, Baptist Health, said its prayers are with both the officer and the family of the shooter. The officer was transported to UF Health’s trauma center for treatment Tuesday night. He has invoked Marsy’s Law, so JSO won’t be releasing his name.
We’re still waiting to learn who the shooter was in this case because the Sheriff’s Office is still working to notify his family.
Baptist Health’s lengthy update clarified that there was never an active shooter inside the hospital and that the entire incident took place outside the Baptist South facility in the parking lot.
“As always, the safety of our team members, patients, families and guests is a top priority,” the update said. “The Baptist South team reacted quickly to lock down the facility and to ensure the safety and security of everyone inside the hospital. Our gratitude for those who responded so professionally to this situation is immeasurable. We are thankful that the lockdown was effective and that the incident was isolated outside the facility.”
UPDATE: There was a shooting outside of Baptist South last night. Our prayers are w/ a @JSOPIO officer who was shot during this isolated incident, as well as w/ the family of the other individual involved in the shooting. The officer is currently in critical but stable condition. pic.twitter.com/T2NYMWpXvw
— Baptist Health (@BaptistHealthJx) April 19, 2023
Waters explained in the briefing that the incident began Tuesday night when an off-duty officer noticed a vehicle driving through the hospital parking lot suspiciously and attempted to stop the car, which drove away.
Other officers who were near the hospital responded and helped look for the vehicle. One of those responding officers also tried to stop the vehicle, and the man inside the car rolled the window down slightly, held out a gun, or what looked like a gun, and said, “Shoot me,” Waters said.
The man then fired one shot into a police car. The officer in that police car didn’t shoot back at the time, Waters said.
“Remember, he’s in the parking lot of a hospital, so he’s making very sure that whatever they do, they do it the right way,” Waters said.
UNCUT: Press play below to watch the full briefing from Sheriff T.K. Waters
Other officers got involved after the shot was fired and attempted to conduct a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle, which failed.
Police said somehow the car got behind them and rammed a police car from the back, pushing the car forward.
“After he hit that police car, he rammed another one head on and crashed into a stop sign or a pole,” Waters said.
Officers blocked the man in and attempted to get him out of the car by giving him loud verbal commands repeatedly, but he refused to get out of the car, Waters said.
An officer then approached the vehicle, and as he reached to open a back door, the man shot him through the window, striking the officer in the face. The bullet lodged in his chest, Waters said.
That’s when the other officers returned fire and killed the shooter.
Before this incident, the shooter had only a speeding ticket on his record, according to Waters.
“This shows what police work is. Police officers are not expendable. They’re human beings doing their job to keep people safe,” Waters said. “We don’t come here expecting to be shot or killed, but we’re going to do everything we can to continue to work, continue to keep our city safe and protect our police officers.”
This is the fifth time this year a JSO officer shot someone. All those people died. This is also the third officer this year who’s been shot.
The officer is the second to be critically wounded in a shooting in less than a month. He was in the same JSO class as Malik Daricaud, who was shot last month while conducting a follow-up investigation of a traffic stop. Daricaud is now recovering from his injuries.
“That is something that I’ve never seen in the 32 years that I’ve been working here,” Waters said. “It’s getting very ridiculous, very dangerous, and it’s concerning.”
News4JAX has learned that the officer wounded Tuesday is engaged to be married.
The Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police posted a message on Facebook, asking for prayers for the officer:
All officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, according to Waters. That is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings.
The State Attorney’s Office is conducting an investigation.
