ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- The shooting happened in an instant but, hours later, deputies with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office are at the Quality Inn off I-95 and State Road 16, piecing together the evidence left behind from the confrontation.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office won't say much about what tipped off a deputy that something was out of the ordinary at the Quality Inn. But they will say a parked SUV was stolen and two people were headed toward it.
"The deputy gave orders for the folks to get on the ground," said Sheriff David Shoar. "The 17-year-old entered the vehicle, reached into the center console, refused to follow commands of the deputy and was shot once in the leg by the deputy."
The deputy was not hurt. The suspect is a 17-year-old convicted felon with multiple charges throughout Northeast Florida.
And it's something Sheriff Shoar says he's seeing more of in his county. "If you approach a stolen vehicle or if you're in a stolen vehicle and you're given commands by law enforcement and you don't follow them, you run the risk of getting shot. And that's exactly what happened this morning," he says.
The 17-year-old suspect has been identified as Brandon Rich. He's facing a range of charges. And Sheriff Shoar says there's a good chance he'll be charged as an adult.
