JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It was a tense morning for residents in the Brentwood area.
Gunfire erupted just before 3 a.m. along the 3900 block of Boulevard Street. Witnesses say they heard people arguing outside right before gunshots rang out.
"The dude was like, 'You got your gun!' and he was like 'Yeah, and I'll pull it!' and we just heard gunshots," said Troy Jones, a witness.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, officers responded to a 911 call from a neighbor who reported a disturbance and possible gunshots in the area.
When they arrived, they began looking for a suspect. As a JSO officer went to the back of a duplex, a man exited the rear door holding a pistol.
"The officer instructed the subject to drop the pistol and the subject refused, that officer fired four shots at the subject but did not strike the subject," said Chief Tom Hackney.
Police say 19-year-old Cameron Stewart refused to drop the weapon. Officer James White was forced to make that split-second decision.
Stewart was booked on charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
Hackney says a BB pistol was the only gun found inside the home. But police believe another gun might have been in play because witnesses report gunshots fired before police arrived on scene.
Bullets hit the outside of the duplex where Tatiana Holland lives with her infant daughter and her 18-year-old sister.
According to her, the men, who are now in custody, were in the neighborhood to visit her sister.
"We were in the house and heard a gunshot and next thing you know, the boys came in the house and, next thing you know, four more gunshots and it was the police," said Holland.
Holland said as soon as she heard the shots, she acted quickly to protect her family.
"I ran to the room where the baby was and my sister, and we got on the floor," said Holland.
The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in police shootings.
Sydney White was also arrested on aggravated assault charges for firing a weapon during the initial dispute with neighbors.
