JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A chief with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says two of his officers are lucky to have survived a shootout with a suspect in Arlington. "You just never know in this job what you're going to face," said Chief Tom Hackney.
According to JSO, two officers pulled over a vehicle because of a broken tail light. One officer approached the driver's side, the other officer began questioning the passenger. Shortly after, police say the passenger, John Dawson Parker, tried to run away. One officer ran after him, while the other got into his patrol car and chased after Parker.
One officer tackled the Parker in a yard at the corner of India Road and Arlington Road. Both officers struggled with the suspect, but Hackney says the officers were ready for what happened next. "The suspect sits up, produces a handgun from his waist and fires several shots at the officers. Both officers then fired several shots at the suspect, shooting several times...the suspect was actually struck. He is dead at the scene." Police say Parker fired a total of four shots at the officers.
JSO says they believe Parker, the son of a JSO corrections officer, ran because he had drugs in the car. They also say he is a member of a local gang.
Neither officer was injured in the shootout. Police say bullets did hit a home in the area, but no one else was injured. Police will not say if the bullets that struck the home were from Parker's weapon or the officers'.
When Action News asked Chief Tom Hackney if the officers were lucky to have survived, he said, "They're extremely lucky; again, this kind of highlights the dangerous nature of police work. What you think is a routine traffic stop with a tail light being out...it turns into something where somebody produces a gun and shoots at you and causes you to use deadly force. You just never know in this job what you are going to face."
Police say the driver of the car, Denarius Nobie, was cited for having a broken tail light. They say he knew Parker through a friend and was giving him a ride. Police say Nobie has been very cooperative.
This makes Tuesday's shooting the second fatal police shooting involving a JSO officer this year. In 2012, police shot 10 people, six of those shootings were fatal.
Count on Action News for continuing coverage of this story. As soon as we get more information we will bring it to you live on FOX30 and CBS47, as well as ActionNewsJax.com.
