Detective shot testifies at trial of man accused of attempted murder

Jury hearing attempted murder, assault charges against Kevin Rojas

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The first witness against a 21-year-old man accused of shooting a Jacksonville narcotics detective during a traffic stop last year was the detective himself, who said Kevin Rojas began firing at him before he even got out of the car.

"Once I see the car door opening, I start to look behind me to open my door. That's when I hear the gunshots and the glass shattering in front of me," the detective said. "I feel like I'm being punched really hard in my stomach area, on my side. As I clear the roof, I was standing up, he shoots me. He's pointing the gun and he shoots me in the head."   

The detective said he returned fire, but Rojas ran away.

Rojas is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault -- the second set of charges were due to the detective's son being in the unmarked police car, as his father was taking him to school.

The detective, who remains undercover and is not being named or shown on camera, testified he pulled over pulled Rojas over for driving erratically on the Westside in March 9, 2016.

Rojas has pleaded not guilty to the charges. In cross-examination, his defense lawyer was focused on asking witnesses if they thought the officer's unmarked car was a police vehicle.

Police said the gun he used in the shooting was taken from his roommate, who told police she had recently become afraid of him and bought it for protection.

Police said the morning of the shooting, Rojas told the woman it would be his last day on earth. Officers said that after the detective was shot, they caught up to Rojas in a nearby neighborhood. They told him to drop his weapon, but they said he wouldn't, so they fired, hitting him three times.

Rojas recovered from his injuries and was booked into the Duval County jail.

Rojas was previously arrested in January 2015 on a charge of dealing in stolen property.

The trial will continue Wednesday in Judge James Daniel's courtroom. 


About the Authors:

Veteran journalist and Emmy Award winning anchor

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.