JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Neighbors and family are raising concerns over the officer-involved shooting death of a Jacksonville man.
The shooting took place at Planters Walk Apartments off Blanding Boulevard just after 10 a.m. Tuesday.
After an altercation with police, 28-year-old D'Angelo Stallworth, was shot multiple times by officers and died at the scene, police said.
The family, speaking through an attorney, said the killing was unjustified and they will be uncovering more details of what happened. But for now, the friends of the slain father are at a loss for words.
"This is a man with three kids. We've never had any problem with their family and I'm here to bring them a flower, (to show) that his life is worth something," Dale, a neighbor, said.
That flower is a simple white tulip, but Dale said the flower represents a father who died to soon, leaving behind three children.
Police said two Jacksonville sheriff's officers were assisting with an eviction at an apartment early Tuesday morning when they spotted Stallworth on a shared balcony that connected the two apartments.
That's when they said Stallworth leaned down and pulled a semi-automatic pistol from a comforter that was covering 126.8 grams of marijuana.
Officers said Stallworth then pushed the gun against the chest of one of the officers.
According to police, that officer then yelled to his partner and the three began wrestling over the gun until Stallworth broke away and tried to run down a flight of stairs from the balcony. When he reached the bottom of the stairs Stallworth turned back toward the officers, who opened fire.
"Somewhere in the course of wrestling for the gun, the suspect drop the gun. However, those two officers were not aware of that. When they saw him turn toward them, not only out of fear for their life, but fearful for the two civilians, the maintenance workers that were with them out on the patio area, they elected to employ deadly force," Sheriff's Office director Tom Hackney said.
Officials said Stallworth was shot six times.
"My sympathy goes out to the family and I will be keeping them in prayer; that God will comfort them and that they will get down to the bottom of what really happened," Ann Eason, a neighbor, said. "A father of three small kids, 3, 4 and 5. It's sad, it really is sad."
An autopsy will take place Wednesday, the same day the family's attorney will hold a news conference.
The two officers have been placed on administrative leave, which is protocol after incidents like these occur.
Stallworth's family is holding a vigil Wednesday night at the Planters Walk Apartment at 7 p.m.