Police try to ID suspect shot by officer

Officer shot man after 2 people involved in fight at motel

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who was shot by an officer at a South Metro motel Monday evening.

Investigators said the man refused to put down his weapon at Emerson Inn on Philips Highway, and the officer fired five times, shooting the man in the his arms and chest. The man is in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center and cannot speak, police said.

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Police were called to a fight between two men in which shots were fired just before 6 p.m. Monday. Four officers were dispatched to the call, and two officers went around the back, while two went to the front, police said.

Chief Tom Hackney said a witness told one of the officers that one of the suspects was armed. Hackney said the officer saw the gun, and after commanding several times for the man to drop the gun, he didn't, and the officer then shot him.

The officer was identified as Matt Edwards, a 16-year veteran of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. It was his first police-involved shooting. Edwards was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.

Police said the suspect was armed with a loaded .40 caliber Hi-Point semi-automatic pistol.

Investigators said they can't determine the relationship between the suspect and the other man. Police said only the suspect who was shot by police was armed.

Police said the man appears to be of Hispanic descent and may go by the nickname Cocoa. He was not a resident of the hotel.

Police said the second man ran away and has not been identified or found.

Anyone with information on either man's identity is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.