A Jacksonville police officer responding to a report of a suicidal man in a Mandarin home shot and killed the man after he raised a knife in the officer's direction twice, Chief of Investigations T.K. Waters said Wednesday.
WJCT News partner News4Jax reported Officer B.L. Kelly fired his weapon one time, killing the man, whose name had not been released at last report.
Before using his service weapon, Kelly attempted to use his stun gun on the man, but it was not effective, Waters said.
Waters said JSO was called to the home on Chesapeake Lane about 7:30 a.m. by a woman who was concerned because she said the man had tried to take his life Wednesday morning and that he was armed.
The man's sister told News4Jax it was his fiancée who called police.
Waters said when Kelly arrived, he "encountered the suspect in the doorway" and then "gave loud commands" for the man to drop the knife.
The man refused, and Kelly attempted to use the stun gun. When it didn't work, the man raised the knife again, despite more loud commands from Kelly to drop it, Waters said.
That's when Kelly fired one shot, Waters said.
"They did not think this would be the outcome," Waters said. "The purpose was to try to get him some help safely. Unfortunately, this is how it turned out."
An expanded version of this story is at News4Jax.com.
