JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents in a Jacksonville neighborhood are voicing concern after a police shooting happened right behind a home near Beach and Southside boulevards Sunday evening.
Police say officers responded to a domestic violence call involving a woman and a report of a gun, and during that encounter, shots were fired.
Now neighbors are describing a chaotic and scary scene, especially with children nearby.
JSO said officers were called to a home on Kline Road around 6 p.m. Sunday on Jacksonville’s Southside because of a domestic dispute involving a firearm.
Officers found the grandparents of 22-year-old Kaiyan Alex Atkinson, who said that Atkinson, who lives behind their home, had threatened them with a gun during a confrontation. They gave officers permission to enter the backyard, where Atkinson was inside the shed.
Atkinson eventually came out when officers called her, but then ran toward the front of the house. Officers with their guns drawn told Atkinson to show her hands, but she reached into her waistband, and Officer J. Kernodle deployed his stun gun, striking her, JSO said.
Then Atkinson pulled a gun from her waistband and fired one shot toward police. Officer J. Lenn and Officer N. Iezzi returned fire, striking Atkinson multiple times.
Neighbor Ellen Flores told News4JAX she was outside playing with her nephews when they heard something like fireworks, only to find out it was gunshots.
“Having stuff happen like that when there are little kids around is very dangerous. It’s not something we want to see there. It’s very scary,” Flores said. “And I heard the lady had like mental illness and all of that. They called for that, it’s very sad that not only officers have to go through that, but the person, who should have been dealt with long before.”
JSO noted that they have responded previously to eight mental-health-related calls at Atkinson’s home.
Atkinson was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
No officers were injured in the incident.