JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A police-involved shooting on Jacksonville’s Northside remains under investigation after officers say a man pointed a gun at them Sunday night near East 22nd Street and North Main Street.
Neighbors described a frightening scene.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
“I heard some rapid gunfire, and then right after that I heard some more gunfire,” Joe Thompson, a nearby resident, said.
“At this time, I was so low to the floor, I didn’t know the direction or anything. I just heard the gunshots, and I just knew, in telling me about my significant other, ‘let’s get down on the floor.”
When asked how many shots he heard, Thompson said:
“I thought it was like a machine gun because, you know, I guess they were shooting in unison. Bop bop bop bop.”
Another neighbor, Jerry Shneedle, said he initially hoped it was something less serious.
“Well, I heard it, and I was hoping it was fireworks,” Shneedle said. “I don’t know why anyone would point a gun at the cops or anyone for that matter, really.”
Surveillance footage obtained by Action News Jax shows one of the officers chasing the suspect through the neighborhood shortly after the shooting.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
In the video, the officer can be heard calling out:
“He’s running westbound on 23rd.”
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, task force officers were sitting in an unmarked vehicle investigating a complaint when a man approached and pointed a gun at them. Officers fired through the windshield, then got out and chased the suspect as he ran and continued shooting.
Police took the suspect into custody about two blocks away and rendered aid. He was identified as Samuel Cook, who was shot multiple times and is expected to survive. Cook is now charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Police said the officers involved were not injured. This marks the third officer-involved shooting in Jacksonville so far this year.
In a police report, it states that both officers were wearing Jacksonville sheriff’s office uniforms that identified themselves as police officers when the shooting happened.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing, including whether officers identified themselves before the suspect pointed his weapon.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.