A woman was killed hours before officers confronted the suspect, officials said.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A deadly Westside shooting early Wednesday led Jacksonville police across town to Mandarin, where officers killed a person of interest after he fired at them, officials said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said officers were first called about 5:30 a.m. to Susie Street near Old Middleburg Road North. A woman had been fatally shot, and a man was wounded. Investigators soon developed a 53-year-old man as a person of interest in that case.
Undersheriff Shawn Coarsey said detectives later found the man had an active theft warrant from Dec. 31. Police said officers tracked him to Julington Creek Road near Sand Ridge Drive, where they tried to arrest him about 1 p.m. The operation took place several hours after the homicide investigation began.
Coarsey said officers boxed in the man’s vehicle, but he tried to break out of the stop. Police said he pointed a gun at officers and fired at least one shot. Five officers then fired their weapons, killing him at the scene. Coarsey said a gun was found under the man’s body.
“There’s physical evidence that the suspect fired that gun,” Coarsey said during the briefing.
The officers who fired were Sgt. Eleftheriadis, Detective Prescott, Detective Whitmar, Detective Walling-Millanes and K9 Officer Mulhearn, according to JSO. The agency said none of the officers was injured. Officials did not release the suspect’s name while next of kin notification was pending.
The case now moves through two reviews. The State Attorney’s Office was at the scene and is handling its investigation first. JSO said it will begin its own review after prosecutors complete their work. The agency said the shooting was its seventh officer-involved shooting of 2026.
Police have not said what led to the Susie Street shooting, whether the wounded man is expected to survive or what relationship, if any, the suspect had to the victims. Those details remained under investigation Friday.
Author note: Last updated April 24, 2026.