ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The Sheriff’s Office in St. Johns County has confirmed that a man lost his life following a pursuit along U.S.-1 on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a Tuesday night update from the sheriff’s office, the SJSO Communications Center received an emergency call at approximately 3:40 p.m., reporting a disturbance at a business near International Golf Parkway. During the call, dispatchers heard what sounded like gunshots.

As deputies rushed to the scene, they spotted a suspect attempting to escape, driving southbound on US-1.

The deputies initiated a pursuit, employing a PIT maneuver to stop the suspect’s vehicle, which resulted in the car crashing onto the shoulder of the road.

The sheriff’s office reports that the suspect, armed with a handgun, fled the incapacitated vehicle on foot. Despite deputies’ commands to disarm, they ultimately shot the suspect. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly afterward. The suspect’s identity has not been disclosed at this time.

Investigators confirmed that the suspect had confronted an employee at the business prior to the pursuit, shooting at the employee several times. The employee was not injured.

The sheriff’s office says the investigation remains active. 

All lanes of U.S.-1 were closed for multiple hours following the incident, but the road is now open.