JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Leroy Edwards Jr., 56, is the man who opened fire Thursday at a Pilot Travel Center in Baldwin, killing one person and injuring another.
JSO said it was a case of workplace violence.
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The shooting subsequently ended with Edwards confronting police and opening fire while driving on Interstate 10 eastbound, according to police.
Edwards was eventually captured and is now facing four counts of attempted murder and one count of second-degree murder.
He’s recovering in the hospital but as soon as he’s discharged, he’ll be transferred to the Duval County Jail.
UPDATE: @JSOPIO says yesterday’s shooting at Pilot Travel Center was a case of workplace violence. Photos show the suspect’s gun as well as damage to patrol cars. Suspect has been identified as Leroy Edwards Jr. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/G3g6WXYsYQ
— Lorena Inclán (@LorenaANjax) December 20, 2019
On Friday, JSO released photos showing damage to a patrol car’s spotlight and what appears to be bullet damage to a windshield. A third photo shows the handgun Edwards allegedly used.
Traffic was backed up for hours on I-10 as the shooting unfolded just after 7 a.m. Thursday.
Friends said Todd Phillips was killed. Many people were posting messages on social media expressing their condolences.
RELATED: Suspect, victims in officer-involved shooting may be connected to truck company in Jacksonville
Another person was injured and is recovering in the hospital. His name was not released by police, citing Marsy’s Law.
According to public records, Edwards had two previous arrests: one in Duval County for fleeing law enforcement and reckless driving, and another in Alachua County on an out-of-state warrant.
Both Edwards and Phillips worked for Rinaudo Enterprises.
Action News Jax reached out to Rinaudo today for comment, we have yet to hear back.
JSO said Sgt. Jay Dowling, Officer S.C. Hackney, and K9 Officer R.C. Winfrey were the officers who returned fire. It was the first officer-involved shooting for all three, and they were all wearing body cameras.
Action News Jax Law & Safety expert Dale Carson said the officers were put in a tough position.
“That individual who shot the people at the truck stop and then drove east toward Jacksonville really created a tremendous danger for all of the folks on I-10 and for the police officers,” Carson said.
Carson said the biggest challenge for police was the distance between them and the suspect.
“Typically, law enforcement are no longer trained at that distance,” he said. “Formally we did train at that distance with hand guns, so the solution is to use a long gun or rifle.”
In a video posted to social media, at least one officer using a long gun could be seen.
According to the police report, “the officers were positioned approximately 75 to 100 yards behind the semi-trailer to the west.”
To give some perspective, 100 yards is about the length of a football field.
Carson said that nowadays, officers train to shoot at distances much closer than that.
“Now they are trained at 3, 7, 10, 15, maybe maxed out at 25 yards,” said Carson.
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