JSO: Police shoot, wound man who fired at officer during Arlington apartment standoff

Jacksonville police critically wounded a man they said fired a shot toward an officer while fleeing out a window during a standoff at an Arlington apartment complex early Sunday.

The incident began about 4:30 a.m. at The Square at 59 Caroline Apartments with a call from the mother of the man shot, 23-year-old Darius Robinson, said Alan Parker, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office chief of investigations.

Sheriff T. K. Waters, also at the scene, said patrol officers had gone to the complex in response to a report of "an armed disturbance inside of an apartment."

Robinson had called his mother who then called the Sheriff's Office and relayed the information to police.

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"Information that came in was that Darius Robinson was inside the residence," Parker said. "He was armed with a handgun and had stated that there were other known individuals who had come into the apartment who were all armed and were threatening to shoot him. But they were waiting on other friends apparently before they engaged."

Officers set up at the front and rear of the home. Robinson's mother also contacted her brother — who is Robinson's uncle — and gave him the same information, Parker said.

The uncle went to the scene to try to assist officers, who had been trying unsuccessfully to contact Robinson inside the apartment. Robinson then responded via cellphone and talked "for an extended period of time" with officers who tried to persuade him to come out, Parker said.

Robinson still wouldn't come out.

Parker said ultimately Robinson broke out a rear window and fired a shot where an officer was located. With the gun still in his hand, Robinson jumped down to the first floor in the backyard.

When he started to stand, he had the gun extended, and an officer fired three shots, Parker said. Robinson taken into custody and treated until medical units arrived and rushed him to the hospital, the chief said.

No officers were injured. Parker said this was the officer's first shooting with the Sheriff's Office. The officer's name was not released under the state's Marsy's Law.

After the shooting, SWAT officers "breached the apartment" in search of anyone else. At the time of the news briefing, he said none had been found.

Andre T. Turner, who identified himself as Robinson's stepfather on the Sheriff's Office's Facebook posting of the briefing, said he was there. He said Robinson "was having a psychological breakdown of a recent breakup. He recently purchased that handgun to protect his home. He's a high school graduate, works every day and doesn't hang in the streets. He's never touched or shot a gun before in his life. This incident was a mental illness issue."

Turner said he also believes if a shot was fired from Robinson's gun, it happened as he broke the window and the weapon accidentally discharged.

The incident was the sixth shooting by Sheriff's Office personnel this year. In those incidents, five suspects were killed, the Sheriff's Office has said.

Two officers have been wounded in the line of duty during those shootings.

On Jan. 20, an officer following up on a burglary sustained a bullet graze to the face when a man fired a handgun at officers who returned fire and killed him.

On April 18, an officer was critically injured when shot in the face by a man who also had fired shots at two officers in an incident that began in the parking lot of Baptist Medical Center South.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Darius Robinson: Jacksonville police shoot man at Arlington apartment