JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 19-year-old who police believed had barricaded himself inside a Southside mobile home after shooting his brother on Monday was arrested miles away in Arlington, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
Nathan Blake, who was caught near Ft. Caroline and Rogero roads, will be charged with aggravated battery, police said.
"He is no longer a threat to the community," JSO spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda said.
He is accused of shooting his brother, who suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from the hospital on Monday.
The victim, whose name was not released, was shot at the Countryside Village mobile home park off Beach Boulevard, and SWAT was called to the scene because police believed the shooter, later identified as Blake, could be barricaded inside a mobile home.
JSO spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda said Monday morning that police were not sure if the shooter might have left the mobile home before police arrived.
"We're treating it as if the person is inside," Bujeda said. "Everybody has been very patient."
Residents of the mobile home park were evacuated around 10 a.m. as a safety precaution because Blake was known to be armed, police said.
Many residents had just left to drop their kids off at school or in Walter Griffin’s case, for a quick workout.
"I came from the gym, got off the bus here about 10 minutes until 10 to go home and be to work by 10 o'clock, and all this was here," Griffin said. "They said nobody in or nobody out; it's a crime scene. How long will it be (I asked)? They don't know."
JTA buses were brought in for the evacuated residents to be able to sit in air conditioning as they waited for the standoff to end.
The SWAT standoff also affected school dismissal for children who live in the trailer park. The children did not walk or ride buses home because of the standoff.
Windy Hill Elementary School acted as a central hub for dismissal and parent pick-up for the students, Duval County school officials said. This dismissal procedure affected the following schools:
- R.L. Brown Elementary School
- Windy Hill Elementary School
- Twin Lakes Middle School
- Englewood High School
- Sandalwood High School
Dismissal procedures applied only to students who live in Countryside Village.
Police said another family member called police to report the shooting and said the victim was still inside the mobile home.
The victim was able to leave the mobile home before police arrived and was taken to a hospital.
Bujeda said police developed leads during the SWAT standoff that Blake was elsewhere and were able to track him down and capture him without incident.
"I'm just happy it's over," resident Bethanie Robinson said.