By Bill Carey
Police1 Staff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Body-worn camera footage shows the violent moments that led up to a Jacksonville officer being shot in the neck by a suspicious person.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released BWC footage from an investigation and pursuit on April 18 that ended with the suspect fatally shot outside Baptist Medical Center South, First Coast News reported.
An off-duty officer working at the hospital noticed a suspicious vehicle circling in the parking lot continuously for more than 10 minutes. The officer attempted to stop the car, but the driver, Jeffrey Alan Martin, fled as officers responded to the scene. Another officer attempted to stop the car, but Martin refused. The video shows Martin yelling “shoot it,” while slowly driving by a police vehicle and firing at it once.
A PIT maneuver was attempted in the parking lot but failed. Martin rammed one of the police vehicles and then collided head-on with another. Other police vehicles pinned the driver in. In the video, Officer Taylor Smith approached the passenger side of Martin’s car.
“He’s got something in his hand,” yelled Smith. As he moves near the rear passenger door, Martin shoots at him, striking him in the face. Smith shoots back then called out to the others, “I’ve been shot! I’ve been shot in the throat.” The other officers returned fire and Martin died on the scene from gunshot wounds.
“He is truly blessed to have not been fatally injured in this shooting,” said Randy Reaves, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5-30. “Right now, he is making what will hopefully be a full recovery.”
Martin had traffic citations dating back to 2004 and no criminal offenses. His parents told First Coast News he was going through some mental health struggles and fighting depression. A 9mm handgun was located under one of Martin’s legs, as well as four spent casings. In the trunk was an AK-47 with three fully loaded magazines amounting to 90 live rounds.