JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police have identified a man who was suspected of fatally stabbing another man and a dog in the Lake Forest neighborhood on Sunday before he was shot and killed in an encounter with an officer.
Police said Juan L. Johnson, 29, was armed with a knife (pictured above) on Sunday afternoon when officers were called to the area for a reported stabbing incident just before 4:30 p.m.
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They found a man, who has not been identified, stabbed to death in the front yard of a home on Pickett Street near Edgewood Avenue, which prompted a search for the stabber, later identified as Johnson. Police believe Johnson and the stabbing victim knew each other.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Johnson was found lying in the bushes of a front yard and a dog was also found fatally stabbed near the same area, police said.
According to JSO, an officer told Johnson to “show his hands” multiple times, but Johnson did not comply with the officer’s demands and instead, aggressively stood up.
The officer used a stun gun on Johnson but that did not stop Johnson from grabbing a large metal bucket and running toward the officer, police said.
The officer then fired several rounds, striking Johnson. JSO did not say how many times he was hit. First aid was administered before paramedics arrived at the scene to take Johnson to the hospital, where he died.
The officer suffered a minor injury to the arm.
The State Attorney’s Office is investigating.
News4JAX found records showing Johnson had been arrested twice for aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and served 4.5 years in prison for a 2016 conviction on that charge. He was released from prison in 2020.
This was the ninth officer-involved shooting this year.