Sheriff: Man shoots neighbor, dies in police standoff in Baker County

Man barricaded in home after shooting neighbor fired on deputies, sheriff says

GLEN ST. MARY, Fla. – A Baker County man who shot his neighbor during an argument was later shot and killed by deputies after he opened fire on them, Sheriff Scotty Rhoden said Thursday.

Rhoden said deputies were called to Whippoorwill Lane, a rural road north of State Road 100 near the Lake Butler line, after reports of a shooting.

Investigators learned a man, whose name has not been released, got into an argument with his neighbor and shot him. The neighbor was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the shooter barricaded himself in his home, Rhoden said.

He said deputies tried to talk the man safely out of the home, but he fired at the deputies, who eventually returned fire, killing the man.

"We tried everything we could to get this individual to surrender to us without any harm to him or our deputies," Rhoden said. "Hours and hours of negotiating with him, trying to get him to come out and surrender. He didn’t want to, and that’s when he engaged our officers, and we engaged back."

The sheriff asked the community to remember all those involved in their prayers.

"This family lost a loved one and these officers went through a tragic event," Rhoden said.

No deputies were hurt, authorities said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement was called to the scene to investigate.


About the Authors:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.