A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officer was shot in the foot and a suspect was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop Wednesday morning (March 12).
JSO Chief Alan Parker said in a press conference that the incident began Officer A.C. Gaulding a 15-year veteran of the JSO was working a traffic deployment and conducted a stop on the suspect.
Parker said the suspect pulled into a driveway and started to get out of his vehicle. Officer Gaulding ordered him to stay in his vehicle and then the suspect reportedly leaned out of the vehicle and opened fire. Gaulding returned fire.
In the exchange of fire Gaulding was shot in the left foot, and the suspect was mortally wounded.
Officers approached the suspect and found he was wearing a “bulletproof vest” and there were two guns—a pistol caliber rifle with a drum magazine and a handgun—in the vehicle.
The officer was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The suspect was treated by Rescue and transported to a local hospital where he died, Chief Parker said.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said the suspect “appeared to be on his way to do something to someone else,” and Officer Gaulding prevented that.
Waters said the suspect had “bad intentions.”
“Bulletproof vest, bad intentions. Rifle with drum magazine, bad intentions. Had another pistol, bad intentions,” the sheriff stressed.
The sheriff said the incident is under investigation, but he offered this comment on his officer’s performance. “From what I saw on body camera, he did what he was supposed to do. He returned fire and eliminated the threat.”
