NCSO: Drug bust ends in officer-involved shooting reported in Nassau County

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — According to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, there was a reported officer-involved shooting in the Casey’s Liquors parking lot.

According to Sheriff Bill Leeper the NCSO Narcotics Taskforce, which includes officers from NCSO, Fernandina Beach Police and state agencies, came together in the parking lot of Casey’s Liquors for a drug bust of a suspect that had been trafficking a felony amount of heroin.

The suspect was a 3-time convicted felon from Georgia, according to NCSO.

Sheriff Leeper said around 2 p.m., investigators tried arresting the suspect in the parking lot at Casey’s Liquor store, but he took off in a vehicle and hit vehicles in his path and a mobile home behind the store.

“As officers approached and gave commands to stop the vehicle, he then placed the vehicle in reverse and accelerated rapidly toward one of the task force members who is a police officer Beach Police Department,” Sheriff Leeper said.

The officer fired his weapon and killed the suspect, according to Sheriff Leeper. Investigators didn’t reveal how many times he pulled the trigger.

Action News Jax spoke to a man working nearby who said he heard at least six gunshots. Jeremiah Fejko was working at the tire store next door and said he thought the liquor store was being robbed, so he took cover.

“We were behind the van just in case someone comes running over toward us with a gun, we could hide,” Fejko said.

Fejko said an officer stopped by the shop and asked him what he heard.

“We told the officer we just heard six gunshots and the officer asked us if we heard any yelling beforehand and we said ‘no it was quiet,’ real quiet. All the sudden it was just pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,” Fejko said.

The officer is on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. Action News Jax reached out to the Fernandina Beach Police Department to learn the officer’s name and time spent on the force but was told they’re waiting on the FDLE to release more information.

Investigators did not release the name of the suspect, but family confirmed his name was Jarvis Sullivan. NCSO said Sullivan was a three-time convicted felon.

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