ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Action News Jax just obtained dash camera video showing the moments before a man was shot and killed by deputies in St. Johns County earlier this month.
In the video, the man’s truck can be seen speeding away and swerving around traffic on the road.
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Body camera, dash camera footage, and 911 calls were released when St. Johns County deputies hit Dustin Rush into a retention pond at Davis Park. Dozens of gunshots went off moments later.
Action News Jax told you when the shooting happened at a crowded Ponte Vedra park earlier this month and we brought you the Sheriff’s briefing live on air.
SJSO identified Rush as the suspect killed in the shooting on Saturday, Nov. 4.
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At least 20 calls were released by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, most of which were from parents concerned for their kids who were playing in a soccer tournament at the park.
“Where? Tell me?” a St. Johns County Deputy said as she was searching for the suspect at Davis Park.
“He went that way,” someone in the parking lot told the deputy.
“He’s towards the bathroom,” the deputy said over the radio, then moments later gunshots rang out.
After the shooting, parents at Davis Park began to call 911.
“There’s been a shooting at Davis Park, field A and B,” a 911 caller said.
Chaotic 911 calls and body camera footage were released after St. Johns County deputies shot and killed a burglary suspect at Davis Park, when hundreds of kids were playing.
“All of us that are playing soccer right now are in the fieldhouse hiding, are we able to come out now?” another 911 caller said.
The Sheriff’s Office said it started after two suspects burglarized storage units on Palm Valley Road.
“I think I have a break-in in progress,” a man called dispatchers after the alleged burglaries.
Deputies caught Crystal O’Neal but say Rush got away.
“There’s not supposed to be access on property before 6am and I heard a lot of banging on the property, I just went to the property and there’s four units already opened,” the man at the storage unit told dispatchers.
They eventually found Rush in a car underneath the Palm Valley bridge and footage shows the encounter.
“Give me your f****** hands,” the deputy said in the first encounter.
“Whoa, whoa, okay okay okay, what’s going on,” Rush said.
“Get out of the car get out of the car get out of the car,” the deputy said.
There’s a short struggle before the deputy uses her taser, Rush closes the door. Rush speeds off in the video and dash camera footage shows when his car is hit into a retention pond at Davis Park. That’s when deputies said Rush took off in the parking lot with this gun, you can see dozens of kids and their parents at the fields.
Deputies say he made a defensive stance in between cars before shots were fired. It should be noted Action News Jax doesn’t have the footage that shows the suspect who was shot in that defensive stance Sheriff Hardwick mentioned; it’s also unclear if Rush shot at deputies at all.
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