The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is delving into the circumstances surrounding an officer-involved shooting that resulted in a man’s death near the intersection of Ponce Boulevard and New Berlin Road. Officials confirmed no officers were injured in the incident.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A traffic stop turned deadly on Monday evening in Oceanway, when an officer fatally shot a man, as reported by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The fatal encounter occurred on Ponce Boulevard, close to New Berlin Road.
During a press conference, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters and Chief Alan Parker provided details, stating that the event unfolded as officers were executing an arrest warrant for William Lowe. Lowe was a suspect in several criminal activities, including car theft and burglary, and was thought to be inside a residence on Ponce Boulevard.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., after officers had been surveilling the location for about an hour, Lowe emerged from the house and entered the passenger side of a vehicle that had just arrived in the driveway.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office reported that they stopped the vehicle as it was departing, and an officer proceeded to detain Lowe.
At the same time, another officer, Zachary Jennings, went up to the driver’s side. The driver was reportedly resisting commands from Jennings and, once out of the car, began physically fighting him. Chief Parker said the two went down to the ground during the fight, with the suspect pulling out a handgun.
Officer Jennings reportedly shot the man in the head, killing him. The officer was uninjured.
At the time of the briefing, JSO said it had not yet identified the man who was killed.
Chief Parker said the officer has served with JSO for eight years, and this was his first officer-involved shooting in that time.
This is the agency’s 17th officer-involved shooting of the year.
The State Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent investigation.
