JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man is recovering at the hospital after being shot by a Jacksonville officer Wednesday after an hours-long standoff near the Walmart Neighborhood Market parking lot at Atlantic Boulevard and San Pablo Road.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Samuel Waters Jr. Police say he was suicidal and armed.
The standoff, which started at about 11:30 a.m. caused traffic delays, blocked off roads and prompted a lockdown for a nearby elementary school for several hours.
Shoppers inside of the Walmart Neighborhood Market were locked inside for their safety, JSO said.
Around 7:30 p.m., Action News Jax witnessed smoke near the car, heard gunshots and saw an ambulance arrive to the scene minutes later.
In a news briefing, Sheriff T.K. Waters says after hours of negotiations and using tear gas to bring the suspect out of the car, he came out with a gun in one hand and a knife in the other.
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“They were trying to get him to come out using gas and some other ways to get him out of the vehicle. Unfortunately, he came out with a knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. Left him no choice,” says Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters.
He says this started around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. After being alerted by Waters’ family members that he was inside of the car with a firearm, they contacted police. JSO says On May 4, a judge signed an order noting Waters’ mental health issues and access to a weapon.
Several agencies including JSO, DCPS and a SWAT team worked to get the situation under control.
Action News Jax spoke to a man who works at the Walmart. He says he’d seen the truck parked there for at least a week.
“That white truck’s been there for at least a week. I noticed it, I left work on Monday at 10 p.m. And he was there then,” said Michael Brainard.
He says he was on standby for hours.
“I was coming to work at 20 till 1 and they had San Pablo blocked off so I had to turn around and go back and turn around Hodges. They have it blocked off at all the entrances,” Brainard said.
He says police were patient handling the situation.
“The police have been extremely patient. Being very careful, making sure everybody was okay. When we were over there, they made sure that we were behind the building, so that if shots were fired, because the police had guns chained on them, that we wouldn’t be in the line of fire.”
Water will face charges from a previous warrant. JSO says he has a history of aggravated assault.
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