JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Body camera video released on Monday shows the moments when Jacksonville police shot and killed a man outside a Jacksonville shopping plaza.
Family members identified the man who died as Randy Sharpe, 30.
Officers said they saw him firing a gun in a parking lot off Blanding Boulevard earlier this month. He was fatally shot after police said he pointed a gun at them.
(Watch the video on JSO’s YouTube page. Viewer discretion advised)
A retired JSO officer who spoke to News4JAX said from what he saw in the body camera footage he feels this officer-involved shooting could be ruled justifiable even though it didn’t show Sharpe directly pointing the gun at the officers.
JSO said it began when Sharpe called and asked a female friend for a ride to run some errands.
At some point, they started arguing so she pulled into the parking lot got out of the car and started to walk away. She told investigators seconds later she heard gunshots.
Sharpe had taken her gun that was in the car and fired several shots, JSO said.
Nearby officers heard gunshots as well so they pulled into the parking lot.
That’s when they saw Sharpe go behind one of the businesses and try to run away. That’s where the body cam starts.
In the footage, gunfire is heard from Sharpe’s gun before a pause. After the pause you see him running toward the entrance of the parking lot holding a gun before officers begin shooting.
Sharpe then fell to the ground after being shot in the stomach. Sharpe can be heard pleading to officers not to kill him before they start administering aid.
Sharpe was rushed to the hospital where he later died.
Retired JSO officer James Brown said officers can use deadly force when they feel their life is in danger.
“You see the firearm in the subject’s hand, and he’s running away. Now, at that point, depending on the officer’s perception, that could be interpreted as imminent fear that this individual is going to turn and shoot at them or not, you don’t know. So the way they’re trained is to eliminate the threat or any potential threat. So at that point, in the video, you hear the first shot. And at that point, they continue to fire with the perception of eliminating any possible threat. And I believe that is why they fire,” Brown said. “The officers don’t have the ability to predict his actions, all they can do is react and what the eye perceives. It has to send that image and that information to the muscles in the hands and the fingers to react that too takes time. So in that second, had they not fired and given him that split second, that same split second, those officers could have been dead.”
This incident will now be reviewed by the State Attorney’s Office to see whether the officer’s actions were lawful then it will be reviewed by JSO.
News4JAX reached out to Sharpe’s family attorney for comment but they did not immediately respond.