ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A man is dead and two other men were injured after a shooting at a construction site in Silverleaf on Wednesday afternoon, St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office first received a call about shots fired near Crimson Leaf Drive and Johns Island Parkway around 4:36 p.m., Hardwick said during a news conference on Wednesday evening.
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The shooting stemmed from an argument that turned physical between co-workers on a construction site, the sheriff said.
The suspect, a man who was not identified during the news conference, shot the victim. Two other men were hit as well and were taken to local hospitals, Hardwick said.
Their injuries and conditions are not known at this time, Hardwick said.
Deputies arrived on scene and performed life-saving measures on the victim, but he died. Hardwick did not identify the victim that died, as deputies were still notifying the victim’s next of kin.
The suspect had left in a vehicle with his brother, Hardwick said.
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SJSO was getting information from other 911 callers and people on the scene who know the victim and the suspect. Those people were giving information like the suspect’s name and vehicle description, Hardwick said.
Hardwick said from there, they were able to get a partial tag number, which led to a full tag number.
The suspect’s vehicle was spotted on Interstate 95 at International Golf Parkway heading southbound, Hardwick said. Deputies set up along the interstate entry and exit points to intercept the vehicle.
Hardwick said Agricultural Deputy Jerry Gentry saw the vehicle coming up behind him on the off-ramp to State Road 206.
The suspect vehicle turned westbound on 206 and pulled into the Love’s truck stop, and Gentry was able to do a “successful” traffic stop while a Florida Highway Patrol trooper pinned the front of the vehicle in, Hardwick said.
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The suspect and the suspect’s brother were taken into custody with no further incident and were being interviewed on Wednesday night, Hardwick said.
Hardwick said he knows “we’re not immune to having violent crime in St. Johns County” and credited deputies for the suspect being apprehended quickly.
“Here’s the fact of the matter: 4:26, this call came in, and at 4:53, the car is stopped in St. Johns County and at 4:53, two subjects are taken into custody. The crime is solved from 4:26 to 4:53,” he said.
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Hardwick said the State Attorney’s Office was also on scene, making sure “our detectives have this case in a bow” to help bring justice for the victim’s family.
The sheriff also thanked the people who called 911 to assist the SJSO in finding the suspect.
“We have people in the community that are not going to tolerate that. When they witness violent crime, they call the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. They’re not afraid to call us because they know we’re going to come and do the right thing and hold people accountable,” Hardwick said.
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