ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – One man was killed, and two bystanders were wounded, on Wednesday afternoon when an argument at a St. Johns County subdivision construction site turned violent, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies said the incident began around 4:26 p.m. when the sheriff’s office received calls of shots being fired near the Courtney Groves subdivision of SilverLeaf, around Crimson Leaf Drive and Johns Island Parkway.
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Two men, who deputies say knew each other and were constructing a new road in the area, similar to Johns Island Parkway, got into an argument that turned physical.
According to the sheriff’s office, that’s when one of the men fired shots at the other, who died at the scene.
Two other men nearby were also hit by gunshots and were taken to the hospital. Their condition is currently unknown.
Witnesses told St. Johns County deputies that the shooter left in a vehicle that got onto I-95 South, near International Golf Parkway.
That vehicle was spotted getting off at a Love’s truck stop on State Road 206.
“We have people in the community that don’t want to tolerate that when they witness violent crime,” Sheriff Rob Hardwick said. “They’re not afraid to call us because they know we’re going to come and do the right thing and hold people accountable.”
The accused shooter and his brother were taken into custody at the truck stop around 4:53 p.m., 27 minutes after the first reports of shots being fired.
The incident comes almost two months after it was announced that the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office had recorded zero homicides in 2025, which was touted as a notable accomplishment for a county with over 300,000 people.
“Last year... just caught a lucky year by the grace of God, but I know we’re not immune to having violent crime in St. Johns County,” Hardwick said.