JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A suspect was shot by a police officer after a pursuit Sunday evening in the Springfield area, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Investigators said at about 5:48, a red Chevrolet Camaro that was used in a previous shooting in April was spotted by officers. After police attempted to stop the driver, he drove away.
A police officer spotted the car on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. He called for assistance, and the officers tried to stop the vehicle. The vehicle continued into the Moncrief area at a high rate of speed, then drove into Springfield.
The man reach Ionia Street when another officer, T.I. Landerville, was traveling on Liberty Street. The man turned west on 9th Street and the officer turned east onto 9th. The man hit the officer head on, disabling the cruiser.
The man's car went into a building. That's when investigators said the officer got out of the cruiser and approached him.
“The police officer was giving commands to the suspect who was in the car, the suspect did not obey the commands, he got out of the car and something happened to cause the officer to un-holster his weapon and to shoot the suspect," Chief Chris Butler said.
Police said the officer fired the gun five times, but they're still investigating how many times the suspect was hit and where. That man's injuries are said to be life-threatening. He is at UF Health Jacksonville.
The officer involved in the crash was also taken to the hospital for injuries described as minor and has since been released.
A second press conference on the incident will be held at 1 p.m. Monday. It will be streamed live on News4Jax.com.