JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An 18-year-old Jacksonville man is at the hospital after being shot by an officer Monday morning in the Murray Hill area.
The mother of a 13-year-old girl called police to the Popeyes restaurant at 649 McDuff Ave. S, at about 7 a.m. She called about a man she said was having an inappropriate texting relationship with her daughter, police said at a news conference Monday outside of the restaurant.
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The mother reported to police that she carried on a texting conversation with the man police identified as Cerry Banks, 18.
She was pretending to be her 13-year-old daughter and made arrangements to meet Banks at Popeyes, police said. She arrived at the restaurant with her daughter and her 11-year-old son and confronted Banks.
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Police said Banks flashed a gun in his waistband and told the mother, “When you hear shots, you‘ll know what’s up.” The mother retreated to the inside of the restaurant and called police.
The responding officer approached Banks, who was behind the restaurant, police said. Banks ran from the officer, who ran after him. Police said Banks pulled the gun from his waistband, refusing the officer’s command to drop the weapon, and the officer shot him, police said.
Banks continued running after being shot but was found in a nearby wooded area in a culvert suffering from gunshot wounds to his hand and torso.
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Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters warned parents and relatives about confronting people they believe might be having an inappropriate relationship with their child or family member.
“We’d like for the parents to allow us to handle situations like this,” he said, adding that he understood why the mother did what she did.
After the shooting, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had McDuff Avenue blocked off from Interstate 10 to Phyllis Street.
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