Duval County

Man shot after pointing gun at officers arrested for murder, Jacksonville police say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man was shot by police on Monday afternoon after he refused to drop the gun he was pointing at them, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.

JSO Chief Mark Romano said police were called to a home in the 2200 block of Hyde Park Road to reports of a person shot.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

When officers arrived, they heard a gunshot come from the home. Romano said three officers positioned themselves behind a neighbor’s vehicle in the front yard.

Romano said the suspect, who JSO identified on Tuesday morning as 44-year-old Eric S. Lackey, came out of the house with a gun and pointed it at officers. Officers gave Lackey “multiple commands” to drop the weapon, Romano said.

INVESTIGATES: Political insider who died accessed Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office buildings 624 times, records show

One of the three officers fired his department-issued firearm, striking Lackey multiple times.

Romano said Lackey was taken into custody, aid was rendered at the scene and he was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

After officers secured Lackey, they went into the house and found another man dead inside. Romano said that murder charges are pending against the suspect.

Caught on video: Putnam woman accused of abusing disabled man in Flagler County

JSO said Tuesday morning that Lackey had been arrested for murder.

JSO’s Cold Case Unit is investigating the officer-involved incident, JSO’s Homicide Unit is investigating the death of the man found in the home and a Crime Scene Unit is processing all evidence.

Romano said that the State Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent investigation of the JSO shooting.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Robert Houston lives nearby and heard the gunshots.

“All I heard was somebody yelling, and then I heard 3 shots -- and then more yelling and then 4 more shots. By the time I got to my phone to call police, they were already coming down the street and I could already hear the sirens,” Houston said.

Houston said the violence must come to an end.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

“It seems nowadays, the first thing they do is resort to violence. Nobody talks anymore,” Houston said.

This is the 13th officer involved shooting this year, Romano said.

No officers were injured in the shooting.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.

0