ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A man who surrendered to a SWAT team more than two hours after shooting a relative during a dispute at an Orange Park home Tuesday afternoon was questioned and released, according to the Clay County Sheriff's Office.
Jonathan Nelson, 29, and 32-year-old Robert Harvey, who deputies said are cousins, got into a fight on Debbie Lane and, according to police, Harvey shot Nelson.
Nelson was taken to Orange Park Medical Center in serious condition. He was stabilized, then airlifted to UF Health Jacksonville.
"(Another person) who was there at the time was able to transport him pretty quickly to the hospital, which may, in the end, end up being something that saves this victim's life," said Mary Justino, spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff's Office.
It was unclear if the person who drove the victim to the hospital is also a family member.
After the shooting, Harvey locked himself in the home for hours, prompting a standoff in the home and an evacuation of nearby homes.
Deputies and a SWAT team surrounded the house on Debbie Lane, off Well Road about a half-mile from the Orange Park Mall, just before 11 a.m.
Neighbors were evacuated from their homes for more than two hours while a SWAT negotiator tried to get the man to surrender. About 1:30 p.m., the man came out without any weapons.
"It is isolated to something that occurred at this one home among family members," Justino said. "As far as we can tell, no one outside of those involved was in danger."
Students coming home from school on buses were allowed back into the neighborhood on their normal routes, deputies said.
"I'm very glad it's over with now," neighbor Joanna Terpack said.
It will be up to the State Attorney's Office to determine if Harvey will face any charges.