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Orange Park Police: Gunman in deadly shooting not facing charges

ORANGE PARK — Police are investigating a deadly double shooting in Orange Park.

The Orange Park Police Department confirmed Saturday that one person was killed and another hurt in an incident at a Chevron gas station on Park Avenue.

The owner of a nearby liquor store spoke with Action News Jax by phone and said he saw two people fighting in the parking lot before hearing gunshots. The owner said his friend went over and tried to break up the fight but got tangled up with another man over the gun.

The owner said he joined in and tried to help. He told us that after the scuffle, the man again tried to attack his friend.

“He decided to turn towards my buddy who he originally wrestled over the pistol with, and my buddy had regained the pistol and (in) self-defense shot the suspect twice,” the man told us.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also investigating. OPPD told us that FDLE assesses all of their major crime scenes.

Just before 9 p.m. Saturday, police said the person who fired the gun had surrendered the weapon and is cooperating with investigators. At this time, no charges have been filed.

It is the second double shooting in Clay County in less than 24 hours. Yesterday, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a deadly shooting off Russell Road in Green Cove Springs that left one person dead and another hospitalized.

The sheriff’s office confirmed that Thomas Edward Modlin, 32, has been arrested in connection to the incident. He is charged with murder and attempted murder, according to jail records.


Samantha Mathers

Samantha Mathers, Action News Jax

Samantha Mathers is a digital reporter and content creator for Action News Jax.