JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A security guard involved in a shooting said his actions shooting three people in the parking lot of an adult club early Sunday morning were in self-defense.
Police said there was a fight inside Wacko's Gentleman's Club involving club-goers and bouncers. According to the police report, the fight moved outside and ended when an armed security guard, Jarod Chemay, shot three men inside their truck.
Investigators said Chemay, a Centurion Security Services employee hired by Wacko's to control the property, told them he opened fire because they were driving their truck at him, trying to run him over.
"If an incident started that these folks started, he has absolutely the right to protect himself and if he is facing danger, an imminent threat of bodily injury or death, he's going to have the legal right to pull his weapon," defense attorney Gene Nichols said.
But that doesn't mean Chemay is out of the water yet, Nichols said. He or his lawyers will have to prove he pulled his gun to save his own life.
"For a self-defense claim, if you're going to use deadly force like he did, there is going to have to be some proof that somebody tried to use deadly force against him before he took those actions," Nichols said.
He said the state attorney's office and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will do a thorough investigation to see who should be held responsible for the shooting.
"Knowing there have been incidents in the parking lot in the past, my law partner has represented clients who have been injured in this parking lot in the past, having an off duty sheriff's officer is the first and best step anybody can take," Nichols said. "The appearance alone, the uniform, the blue lights, the emblem on the side."
Chemay has not been charged with any crimes, according to jail records.