A Jacksonville resident shared her grief with First Coast News following her husband’s fatal encounter with police, which occurred amid a probe into their domestic altercation.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Stricken with loss, a Jacksonville woman describes feeling “empty” and “destroyed” after police shot and killed her husband during an investigation of a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex in the Bartram Park vicinity.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detailed that officers arrived at Luxor Club Apartments around 8:30 p.m. on Monday in response to a reported marital conflict. A witness from the complex alerted authorities after hearing a woman screaming and observing her atop the hood of a Tesla, striking it. Once she dismounted, the driver, identified as 34-year-old Daniel Rodriguez, sped away.
As reported by JSO, Rodriguez returned to the scene, and a witness noted him carrying a firearm. Police separated the couple and approached Rodriguez for questioning regarding the disturbance, at which point investigators claim he brandished a gun.
In response, two officers discharged their firearms, striking Rodriguez. He was transported to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
First Coast News interviewed a woman who identified herself as Rodriguez’s spouse. She shared that they had been in a 15-year marriage and were experiencing difficulties following the stillbirth of their child last December.
“He was an amazing dad, a good husband. We were just struggling,” she said. “It’s hard when you have to bury a kid. Parents aren’t supposed to bury their kids, and now I’m burying a husband too.”
The woman said she was nearby when the shooting happened and witnessed the moments after the first shots were fired.
“I was right here at the stop sign when the first shot went off, and then I ran over there, and they were shooting him, and he was on the ground,” she said.
She also pointed out bullet holes in her car, which she said were left during the shooting.
“Empty, I’m destroyed. But I have a little girl I have to raise,” she said.
JSO said the officer-involved shooting is under investigation, which is standard procedure. The State Attorney’s Office will also review the case.
