JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- John Dawson Parker, 23, was a member of the 103rd Street gang, and the second suspect to be shot and killed by JSO this year.
"In addition to this, he's the son of one of our active duty JSO corrections officers," said Chief Tom Hackney.
Chief Hackney said the confrontation with Parker started at about 3:20 a.m. on Tuesday. Police say he was he passenger in a car that police pulled over for having a broken tail light.
"At that point in time, it's a pretty standard traffic stop," said Chief Hackney.
That all changed when police say Parker jumped out of the car and started running. Police say an officer chased him, tackled him to the ground. A second officer followed. And as the three wrestled in a yard off Arlington Road, police say Parker pulled out a gun and opened fire.
"The gun only had four rounds in it," said Hackney. "So, he used every round that he had shooting at these officers."
Parker missed. The two officers returned fire, striking him several times. He was pronouned dead on scene.
The driver of the car that was pulled over, Denarius Nobie, told police he didn't know Parker. He said he was doing a friend a favor by giving Parker a ride home.
"He just jumped out and ran," said Nobie. "And they just started chasing him. And I just heard gunshots." Nobie says he did what he was told and stayed in the car. "They said don't move, don't move, get down. Stay where you're at, stay where you're at."
Nobie was ticketed for the tail light and for not having his license on him. He doesn't face any other charges.
Police say Parker did not have any active warrants. Investigators believe he ran because he had drugs in the car.
Chief Hackney says this shooting hits close to home, because Parker has a parent on the force. But they say Parker threatened the lives of two police officers, and those officers did what they had to do to protect themselves.
"This is a dangerous job," said Chief Hackney. "This sort of thing certainly highlights that."
Parker had been in an out of jail since he was 18. He had been arrested several times on drug charges, on burglary charges, and for resisting arrest.
Officers Craig Soucek and Rudy Hathaway have been put on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in police shootings.
