JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police are investigating after a homeowner shot a man accused of trying to carjack him on Thursday afternoon in the Herlong area on the Westside.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Karen Dukes said it started around 12:15 p.m. when a K-9 officer initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle the officer believed was stolen.
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The suspect, a man in his 30s, who was driving, kicked someone out of the car and drove away. Police later found the abandoned car on Justin Road West.
After abandoning the car, the man was running on the 2000 block of Oxbow Road and approached homeowners, Dukes said.
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The man entered the garage of one of the homes, pointed a gun at a homeowner, and tried to carjack him.
At some point, there was gunfire and the suspect ran away. Dukes said the man circled back to the same homeowner, a man in his 50s.
That homeowner told the suspect he was in fear and told him to stay away. Dukes said the suspect kept advancing and the homeowner shot him in the leg.
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Dukes said the car that the suspect ditched was reported stolen from Suwannee County. She said that the person that was kicked out of the car is cooperating from police and doesn’t believe that person knew the car was stolen.
The homeowner who shot the suspect is also cooperating with the investigation. At this time, the shooting appears to be self-defense, but Dukes said police are still investigating and want to speak to everyone involved, including the man who was shot.
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