JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The mother of a 19-year-old accused of shooting a Jacksonville undercover detective Wednesday morning apologized, saying she thinks her son might have been on unprescribed drugs when the shooting happened.
Kevin Rojas, who survived being shot three times at the end of a chase, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault. He remained hospitalized under guard Wednesday evening.
“I’m sorry the officer was shot. He would never do that. I don't know what happened,” said Amy Wyss, Rojas' mother. “This is not him. I'm sorry the officer was shot. From the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry, but my baby was shot twice and has a punctured lung and they shot him in the leg and he has blood all over him.”
The undercover officer, whose name will not be released, was shot at least three times -- once in the head, once in the upper body and once in the hand.
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The officer's 14-year-old son was in the car on his way to school at the time, but he was not hurt.
Rojas (pictured below in a 2015 booking photo) was pursued into a neighborhood off Collins Road and was shot in a confrontation with other officers. He survived the shooting and was in stable condition.
“I think he was on this medication and wasn't aware of what was going on. I don't (know) his mental status. I don't know what was going on,” Wyss said. “Please don't make him out to be this person he's not.”
Wyss said she heard that a friend had given Rojas prescription medications and another friend had bought a gun and given it to Rojas, even though he's underage to have a handgun.
After the incident, Rojas' girlfriend told officers that he fired two shots inside their house and said this would be his last day on earth before abruptly leaving with a handgun.
"One of the roommate's that live with him decided they would arm themselves ... Based on his erratic behavior over the last few weeks," JSO Chief Tom Hackney said.
Hackney said officers arriving at the shooting scene were flagged down by someone whose Ford F-350 pickup was reportedly stolen by the gunman a short distance from the scene. Officers pursued the pickup down Collins Road, and when they tried to pull it over, the driver sped up and turned into a subdivision. When it turned down a dead-end street, the truck rammed a house next to where Rojas lived, authorities said.
Officers found Rojas on the back porch of the home. Two officers said that when Rojas refused to drop the gun (pictured below) and began to raise it, they both fired.
“I got to see my son for about 5 minutes. He had blood all over him. He's in critical condition. He got shot in the ribs, and they had to put a thing in his chest so it could drain out. He got shot in the leg, in the femur,” Wyss said. “Please, this is not him. I know he's in so much trouble, but please, he's not this cop murderer. I swear to God, he's not.”
Wyss said her son had a job that he went to every day. She said he lives a good life, and he is courteous.
Rojas was previously arrested in January 2015 on a charge of dealing in stolen property. He spent one night in jail and was released on $1,500 bond.