Man shoots self in groin with stolen gun in Jacksonville park, JSO says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A young man was arrested at a Jacksonville park where he allegedly shot himself in the groin with a gun stolen during a car burglary at a Popeyes.

Let’s unpack.

Last Sunday, March 20, officers were called to Lonnie C. Miller Sr. Regional Park where a 21-year-old was lying in a ditch, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Police say the man, identified as Xavier Matthews, was covered in blood from a gunshot wound below the waist, seemed confused, struggled to speak or stand on his own, and insisted to officers that he was fine.

JSO said there were approximately 100-200 people at the park at the time of the incident for a party.

Witnesses at the scene told police that prior to the shooting, they saw a seemingly intoxicated Matthews attempting to break into strangers’ vehicles.

Matthews was identified through fingerprints was and found to have two active warrants for robbery. Investigators believe he accidentally shot himself with a gun that was taken from a man on March 15 who had picked Matthews up from Bill Brinton Murray Hill Branch Library on Edgewood Avenue.

In the report, the driver stopped at a Popeyes on Kings Road to use the bathroom, leaving Matthews in the car, and when he returned, the suspect was gone and so was a gun that he kept in his glove box.

Matthews is charged with armed robbery, carrying a concealed firearm and violation of probation, among other charges. He is not eligible for bond.

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