PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A deputy pursuit of a burglary suspect ended Saturday morning when the man, who was armed with a pistol, was fatally shot near Davis Park in Ponte Vedra Beach as thousands of children played nearby, Sheriff Rob Hardwick said.
Students at Ponte Vedra High, which is next to the park, were taking SATs on Saturday when the shooting took place, and multiple events, including band practice, soccer games and a youth football game, were happening nearby.
“We had thousands and thousands of kids in the Davis Park area, kids at Ponte Vedra High School taking exams, practicing sports, when this incident was going on in broad daylight,” Hardwick said. “We had a reckless suspect with no caution at all for life, people in the parking lot walking around. Our deputy sheriffs took the actions they had to, to stop from having further injury and innocent people being killed.”
WATCH: Press play below for a replay of Sheriff Hardwick’s update on the shooting
The burglary suspect, who died at the hospital, has been identified as Dustin Alan Rush, who turned 42 on Saturday.
Hardwick said the lengthy incident began just before 5:45 a.m. when deputies were called to a storage unit on Palm Valley Road because of reports of a burglary in progress.
That storage unit is about 5.5 miles from the Davis Park area, where the incident ended about three hours later.
The deputies investigating the burglary at the storage unit found a suspect still at the facility and that person, later identified as 37-year-old Crystal Lynn O’Neal, was taken into custody, Hardwick said. Investigators said she had burglary tools when she was arrested. She was charged with 14 felonies and two misdemeanor counts related to burglary. She is being held without bond.
The deputies learned there was at least one other suspect involved who had left the scene before they arrived, and they began searching for that person and the pickup truck they were believed to be in.
Later, Deputy T. Parker spotted the truck and pulled it over under the Palm Valley Bridge. Hardwick said the driver, later identified as Rush, struggled with Parker and then sped away. Parker, who suffered cuts during the struggle, quickly followed as Rush headed toward the Nocatee area over the Palm Valley Bridge, Hardwick said.
As Parker pursued, she called for backup and marked patrol units joined the chase, which led down the road toward Ponte Vedra High School and Davis Park, according to Hardwick.
The lead pursuit vehicle performed a PIT maneuver to end the chase, which sent the pickup spinning into a small retention pond before it became disabled near the park, Hardwick said.
Deputy Parker, Deputy D. Delay and Cpl. J. Carballosa ran after Rush, who had jumped out of the truck and was running toward the sports complex’s soccer fields with a handgun, Hardwick said.
Rush, still armed with a handgun, refused to obey law enforcement commands and ultimately shots were fired, Hardwick said. Parker did not fire her weapon. Carballosa and Delay did, Hardwick said.
“This is one of those cases where all the training comes together, where our deputy sheriffs’ backs were to the children and the families, and they were engaging the target in the opposite direction,” Hardwick said.
None of the deputies were hit by gunfire. Rush was airlifted to a trauma center in Clay County, where he later died.
Hardwick said Rush posed a genuine threat to the families at the park.
“He was making that ultimate decision. Was he going to engage our innocent children and families? Was he going to engage himself or engage the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office?” Hardwick said.
Hardwick said investigators will review body-worn camera footage, shell casings and ballistics to determine if the suspect fired his weapon. Witnesses told News4JAX they did see the man fire his gun at deputies.
Just before 5:30 p.m., the suspect’s truck and two SUVs were towed away from the scene. The SUVs appeared to have bullet holes in them.
The Sheriff’s Office asked the public to share any information they might have about the incident by emailing CrimeTips@sjso.org.
If you have any information, please email CrimeTips@sjso.org and a Detective with the Major Crimes Unit will reach out to you. (2/2)
— St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (@SJSOPIO) November 4, 2023
“It breaks my heart when our deputy sheriffs tell you that as they’re showing up for backup, there are children prone out on a soccer field,” an emotional Hardwick said. “Our community was phenomenal in their response and their understanding (as we closed down the parks).”
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said it has been in contact with the sports associations that were occupying the field, as well as the St. Johns County School District, which plans to have district guidance counselors readily available at school next week for any students who might need resources.
Cpl. Carballosa has been with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office since May 20, 2013, and this was his second deputy-involved shooting. His first was in 2015. Deputies Delay and Parker have been with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office since January 18, 2022, and June 21, 2021, respectively.
Again, anyone who has any information, including photos or videos, is asked to email CrimeTips@sjso.org and a detective with the Major Crimes Unit will be in touch.