Suicidal veteran killed after aiming gun at SWAT officer in Clay County

A former U.S. Marine with a history of mental health issues was killed by a deputy after he threatened to harm himself then aimed a gun at a SWAT officer outside a Green Cove Springs home on Saturday.

Deputies were called to 31-year-old Billy Smith's home around 3 p.m. after his father told a 911 operator that his son planned to harm himself.

When Clay deputies got to the home on Citation Drive, they heard gunfire and learned Smith was inside alone.

They called a SWAT team and set up a perimeter.

Negotiations by telephone went on for almost three hours. Smith hung up on the negotiator and called back several times.

Throughout negotiations, Smith fired a weapon 16 to 20 times and broke some of the windows at the home.

At one point, Smith came out of the front door and took aim at a SWAT officer across the street.

The officer, a 7-year veteran with Clay County Sheriff's Office, fired one round and hit Smith. He died in the front yard.

This is the deputy's first officer-involved shooting.

Clay County Sheriff Rick Beesler said he believes Smith was desperate to kill himself but did not want to do it.

He wanted law enforcement to do it for him, Beesler said.

"I know there will be people who will say, 'Why didn't you, you should have just let him blow off steam.' But, when he comes out and points a gun at an officer, there's not a lot you can do at that point," Beesler said.

Smith was an infantry service member for four years, according to Beesler. He experienced mental health issues and had been held under the Baker Act in the past.

He had two children with his estranged wife, according to deputies.

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