JSO: Officers fire 15 rounds at 'suicide by cop' suspect

Scott Butler, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Updated ·2 min read
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With all the recent shootings tormenting Jacksonville, including the deaths of 3- and 6-year-old children since Saturday, the latest resulted in officers shooting a man they said had been researching and posting videos about "suicide by cop" at a home on Bartram Road.

Chief Alan Parker said officers were dispatched to the home about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday for an armed suicidal suspect. While en route they did some research on the suspect and found some videos that he had been posting the last few weeks on how he could make officers engage him. Parker said he even had an online catalog that included airsoft guns that he could use.

On arrival, officers made contact with him through a window, but he began making threats. Over several minutes of trying to talk him out, Parker said he did finally exit and produce what looked to be a handgun. Three officers fired 15 shots, and the man went down but retreated back inside.

Officers tried to convince him to come back out, and after a few more minutes he eventually emerged at the bottom of the stairs and officers apprehended him and rendered aid, Parker said. He was in critical condition but expected to recover.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said this airsoft handgun is the one displayed by Vincent Palmero before police shot him in an apparent suicide-by-cop attempt Wednesday at a home on Bartram Circle. He was critically wounded.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said this airsoft handgun is the one displayed by Vincent Palmero before police shot him in an apparent suicide-by-cop attempt Wednesday at a home on Bartram Circle. He was critically wounded.

The Sheriff's Office later confirmed the handgun was an airsoft.

He was identified as Vincent Paul Palmero, 64, with an extensive criminal history including several stalking cases, Parker said.

Court records show the most recent one was last year with a former girlfriend who reported he emailed her photographs of murdered women saying "I would have done her good, but not you." She said he also sent videos of Arnold Schwarzenegger shooting fellow actor Sharon Stone in the head in the movie "Total Recall" with the message, "Sharon Stone plays you and Arnold me."

According to Times-Union records, this is the 11th person shot by Jacksonville police this year, seven of whom were killed. Last year's totals were 12 shot, eight fatally.

The shooting came not long after Sheriff T.K. Waters conducted a news conference to condemn the recent rash of shootings, deaths and particularly of children. Since Saturday there had been 20 shooting victims and seven people killed in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville sheriff's officers shoot suicide by cop suspect