JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two people are dead, and a K-9 officer is injured, after a pursuit led to a standoff near the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Friday afternoon, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
JSO says officers initially received a call for an aggravated assault, with reports of shots fired, around 1:52 p.m. in the area of Division Street and Commonwealth Avenue.
When JSO officers responded, they were able to locate a suspect vehicle and initiated a traffic stop, however, that vehicle did not stop, and a pursuit began, says JSO.
During the pursuit, multiple rounds were fired from the car, according to a First Coast News law enforcement source.
JSO says the vehicle came to a stop near Busch Drive and Zoo Parkway after crashing into another vehicle. The people inside the vehicle that was crashed into were not injured, police say.
Police say that they gave loud commands to the suspect vehicle, telling the occupants to come out. The suspect did not comply, JSO said.
A decision was made to deploy a K-9 into the vehicle, JSO says. The K-9 was shot multiple times, a source says.
He is stable and expected to be OK, JSO says.
Police say a standoff ensued before the suspect eventually surrendered. That person was taken to a hospital for their injuries and has not been identified by police.
JSO says two other people were found inside the car dead. The Medical Examiner will rule on their cause of death at a later time.
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Councilman Rory Diamond tweeted, shortly after, "Prayers for our JSOPIO canine".
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5-30 tweeted, "Please keep our officers, two legged and four legged, in your thoughts and prayers. It’s been a rough day for them all."
The Jacksonville Zoo says the incident happened between JSO and an individual outside the Zoo. That individual was never inside the zoo, officials say.
The Zoo says all guests and employees were kept inside the premises for their safety for about an hour. They have since been released.
Brittany Reed was visiting the Zoo with her three daughters when her family was ushered into the gift shop during the lockdown.
She says she was free to leave around 5 p.m. after taking shelter inside a gift shop.