PALATKA, Fla. – A 41-year-old man died early Thursday morning after an officer-involved shooting near St. Johns River State College, the Palatka Police Department said.
Officers said they were dispatched to a reported domestic battery around 3:15 a.m.
The woman in the incident, whose name is not being released, asked to meet with officers at a local store. After she spoke to officers, she drove back to her apartment complex, where she noticed the man, later identified as Datwan Lewis, sitting in his car and appearing to be waiting on her, police said.
She called police immediately.
Officers arrived to find Lewis driving away on St. Johns Avenue. They pulled him over in the St. Johns River State College parking lot, where they discovered he was armed with a gun, police said.
Officers said Lewis was told several times to drop the gun. When he refused to comply, officers were forced to fire, police said.
Lewis was wounded by the officers' gunfire and tried to drive away. He didn't get far and crashed into three vehicles in the parking lot. Police said he eventually got out of the car with the weapon and shortly after listened to commands from police to get down.
He was taken into custody and transported to Putnam Community Medical Center, where he died.
No officers were injured in the shooting. The officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave with pay pending the investigation, according to Palatka police.
“We’re galvanized as a community to stand strong together. We’re here to support both our officers, our children, the family as a whole, and everyone involved in this incident. It’s truly a tragedy,” Palatka Mayor Terrill Hill said.
Putnam County Schools Superintendent Rick Surrency echoed that message.
“This is a difficult time for all of us as a community and our school system is a part of the community," Surrency said. "You know, we’re here to educate kids, but we’re also here to minister to their needs and this is a time for Palatka and Putnam County to come together to support our own citizens.”
Putnam County Chaplain Pastor Karl Flagg, one of several community leaders who came to the scene Thursday, counseled family members who were devastated over their loss.
“We have ministers, chaplains, deacons, and various community leaders who can offer prayers and offer support and comfort through God’s word. And, that really is what’s important now,” Flagg said. “Anxiety is normal. Anger, bitterness, resentment -- all of those things are normal. But, right now, we are just so grateful that the family is coping with such tragic news.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is now investigating the shooting.
Hill said the investigation will give the community answers about exactly what happened.
“FDLE is doing the investigation in this case. It will be done independently by them. We will surrender to the investigation and allow the investigation to be the telling story as to everything that happened and the circumstance,” Hill said.
Family members and friends gathered Thursday morning at a nearby church to pray. Many of them said they were shocked by what happened. One man told News4Jax that Lewis comes from a big family in Palatka.
St. Johns River State College remained open for classes Thursday. All staff and students were asked to access the campus from the Moody Road and College Road parking lots.
News4Jax found that Lewis had several felony arrests dating back to 1993: multiple drug possession with intent to sell, multiple marijuana possession, aggravated battery, two for domestic battery, false imprisonment, burglary, armed robbery and eluding police.
Lewis had served time in prison twice, for a total of five years, and last got out in 2016.
“We support law enforcement. We support the family, and we support the community as a whole. And the family’s questions will be answered sometime in the future,” Flagg said.