Friends seek answers in shooting involving St. Johns County deputy

Friends question why no new information has been released in shooting

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – It has been a week since St. Johns County Sheriff's deputies shot and killed an armed 43-year-old man. Now his friends are speaking out, wondering why no new information has been released.

Authorities identified the man as Aaron Ray. The Sheriff's Office said they responded to a domestic disturbance call at Ray's home on Race Track Road early last Saturday morning.

Deputies shot and killed Ray after he refused orders to drop the weapon he was carrying.

On Saturday News4Jax spoke with two of Ray's friends.

"He was really a great guy, down to earth, he'd do anything to help anybody," said Freddy Rychlock, Ray's friend. "So the point we're all getting at is, we don't know what happened to him and we'd like to know."

Rychlock said he believes Ray was doing well financially and had no reason to put himself in a dangerous position.

"Aaron just came into a lot of money, a lot, a lot of money. He got several houses and this was all from a person in his family passing away. He was quite well-to-do," said Rychlock.

RELATED: 1 dead in deputy-involved shooting in SJC

A check through St. Johns County records reveal Ray had been in trouble before. This includes an arrest for battery in 2011 and a domestic violence case in 2010. Records also show Ray and his wife were going through foreclosure.

News4Jax spoke to another of Ray's friends, David Israel, who said Ray had been fighting with the mortgage holders. More than anything, Israel said friends and family want to hear from authorities about exactly what happened that night.

"We want to hear the other side. If he was wrong, he was wrong. But we want to know what happened. If he was right, then there are other avenues to take. But at this point, we just want to know what happened," Israel said.

News4Jax reached out to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office for comment. They wouldn't say anything specific about this case, but said investigations like this can take a month or longer.


About the Author:

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