The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has arrested the man shot in the leg by an officer during a burglary early Wednesday morning.
Twenty-seven-year old Michael Kevin Hollis is charged with burglary, weapons possession and resisting arrest without violence after breaking into Gate Liquors off Lem Turner Road.
JSO Investigations Director Tom Hackney says responding Officer Steve Coleman shot Hollis as he was attempting to take two rifles from the business.
Before shooting, Coleman ordered Hollis to get on the ground repeatedly, Hackney says.
“When the subject turned at him still armed with the guns, the officer fired his issued service weapon eight times at the suspect,” he said.
One of the shots struck Hollis in the leg and two others struck the rifles Hollis was holding, Hackney said.
Police say Hollis was taken to University of Florida Health hospital and later released.
Hackney said Hollis has an “extensive criminal history,” including several drug possession and trafficking charges as well as an aggravated assault charge.
Coleman, a five-year veteran of the force, has been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.
Wednesday's is the third shooting to involve local first responders in the last two days.
On Tuesday, members of the JSO and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department were targets of violence in separate incidents.
Tuesday morning, Officer Matt Hice was shot at while responding to a call about abandoned vehicles in an empty lot near Edgewood Avenue East. He was not hit or injured in the incident.
On Tuesday night, firefighters Michael Reid and Shawn Michael were shot at in a drive-by while refueling their truck at Ladder 28 on 9200 Hogan Road.
Reid suffered a minor wound to his arm after being struck by shrapnel from one of the bullets.
The suspects in the shooting fled in a vehicle described as a older, white "police-type" car.
Suspects in both Tuesday incidents are still at-large.
In a written statement issued late Tuesday night, Mayor Alvin Brown called the shootings "cowardly attacks."
Brown writes, "I will do everything in my power to protect the firefighters and police officers who work so hard to keep us safe. We will coordinate with the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and others to safeguard our dedicated fire and police personnel. They deserve no less."
Hackney said Wednesday the Sheriff's Department is taking "extra steps" to ensure the safety of the city's firefighters but would not go into further detail.
Anyone with information on either incident is asked to call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
For more news updates from Rhema Thompson follow her on Twitter: @RhemaThompson.
