A man is confronting several charges following a gunfight with Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) officers engaged in undercover surveillance in Brentwood. This incident marks the third officer-involved shooting in the city this year.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An individual is facing numerous allegations after exchanging gunfire with undercover JSO officers in Brentwood on Sunday night. This marks the city’s third officer-involved shooting in 2026.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office reports that task force officers were responding to a tip regarding suspected drug activities along 22nd Street near Main Street North and were conducting surveillance from an unmarked vehicle.
Investigators reveal that shortly after 7 p.m., 35-year-old Samuel Cook approached the officers’ vehicle from behind, advancing to the front, and aimed a firearm directly at them. It remains uncertain if Cook realized the men were law enforcement officers upon his approach, though they were dressed in police uniforms and tactical gear, as detailed in the arrest documentation.
The officers discharged their weapons before exiting the vehicle to chase Cook on foot. According to the police, Cook fled for approximately two blocks, exchanging shots with the officers until he sought cover behind parked vehicles. During the confrontation, Cook sustained several gunshot wounds and eventually surrendered, after which he was transported to a hospital with injuries deemed non-life-threatening. JSO confirms that the two officers remained unharmed.
Cook now faces charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
Sheriff T.K. Waters addressed the shooting during a news briefing.
“Don’t pull guns on the police, you won’t get shot. If you pull a gun, you don’t have to shoot it first. If you pull a gun when the police comes up, you’re going to get shot.” Sheriff Waters said.
Waters emphasized the danger officers face in these situations.
“These guys are pulling out guns, firearms. It’s a dangerous world. We’re not playing games here. This is not tiddlywinks. This is real life.”
First Coast News crime and safety analyst Mark Baughman, who has extensive experience working in the Brentwood area, says undercover operations like this can be especially dangerous.
“The police officers that work that area definitely have to be on their toes, for lack of a better term, and they also have to be vigilant and make sure that they’re doing what they should do to answer calls,” Baughman said. “I mean, they try to find ways to fit in, blend in better. They try to find ways to do surveillance a little easier and there’s technology out there that’s being expanded, you know, with drone use and all types of things.”
Baughman says these operations are necessary to address ongoing criminal activity and long-standing challenges facing Brentwood.
“It’s been blighted with drugs for a long time. There’s been a lot of other activity, contraband sold up there other than drugs. A high prostitution area in some areas. So all that collectively sometimes draws that criminal element in a very close, condensed area,” Baughman said.
First Coast News asked the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office if it is considering adjusting operational tactics for undercover or covert officers.
“The specifics related to last night’s officer-involved shooting will be reviewed by multiple agencies – over the course of the coming months,” the agency responded. “Whether or not recommendations on future processes may be affected would come, if deemed appropriate, following the criminal and administrative reviews by the agency.”
