JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Robberies of two women outside a Beach Boulevard Wal-Mart and at a nearby apartment complex early Monday morning prompted a police pursuit that ended in gunfire and the fatal shooting of one of the suspected robbers.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Cedrick Smith, 20, was shot and killed when he pointed what turned out to be a BB gun at officers in the back yard of a home on Debutante Drive and fired shots. Officers also fired shots at Kenneth Drotar, 17, who was stopped and was taken into custody unhurt.
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The pursuit followed reports of armed robberies that occurred minutes apart at Beach and Hodges boulevards and Beach Boulevard and San Pablo Road. A chase through the streets of the Southside ended when police deployed stop sticks on Cortez Road just south of Atlantic Boulevard and the driver lost control of the vehicle, whicht crashed into a utility pole.
Drotar was taken into custody quickly, but officers lost sight of Smith. When a nearby homeowner reported a suspicious person running through their neighborhood, Officer Michael Mosley found Smith. According to Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Director of Investigations Dwain Senterfitt, Smith turned at Mosley with what appeared to be a gun.
After the shooting, officers found the guns used in the robberies were BB guns.
"It's very easy to say this guy had a BB gun," Senterfitt said. "But (put) yourself out there in the dark where this person has just robbed some people to the point he just crashed his car, but other people (were) in danger and know he is in someone's back yard and he is running right at you. Are you going to wait? That is the decision you have to make."
Neighbors in the area said they are not surprised by what happened. They said crime has gotten out of control and they don't see it getting any better.
Drotar was charged with armed robbery and booked into the Duval County jail. Under Florida law, he could be charged with murder because someone died during the commission of a felony.
Second Robbery, Separate Fatal Shooting Another police-involved shooting occurred less than an hour earlier when officers chased a man suspected of robbing a convenience store at Roosevelt Boulevard and Timuquana Road.
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Director of Investigations Dwain Senterfitt said a patrol officer saw what he believed was the suspect's car on Collins Road as it turned into the an apartment complex just after midnight. During an attempted traffic stop, the suspect shot at police and the officer shot back, Senterfitt said.
The suspect -- later identified as 20-year-old Luiz Vizcarrundo -- took off in his car and drove to another apartment complex. Police said the man stopped, got out of his car and fired more shots at two officers as he ran.
"There was a foot pursuit around the apartment complex where there was still an exchange of gunfire," Senterfitt said. "Around the front of the complex ... the suspect was shot several times and he was killed there at the scene."
Police said no officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire. The JSO later identified as Sgt. Johnny L. Oldham, Officer Everhart C. Avinger, Officer Dwayne L. Crouch and Officer Craig L. Jones.
"In the last just over a year, we have had four officers actually shot in this town," Senterfitt said. "We are real fortunate in the case."
Investigators said so many shots were fired, officers went door to door in the immediate area, making sure no one was hit by stray bullets.
Senterfitt said that because there are three crime scenes -- the convenience store and the two apartment complexes -- the investigation will take a while.
The two police-involved shootings are the 26th and 27th of 2008. Fourteen have died.
Last year at this time, there were 16 shootings in 15 incidents.
Related Story:
- November 24, 2008: 2 Suspects Dead After Separate Overnight Police-Involved Shootings