Suspect shot near Sneads

JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - A suspect is injured after a shooting near Sneads, according to officials with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. We’re told officers responded to an incident near Sneads Thursday morning, and during the course of the investigation, shots were fired by law enforcement.

Jackson County Sheriff Donnie Edenfield says shots were fired early this morning at a house on lake Seminole Road. The suspect then fled the scene and officers were not able to locate him at first, a Sneads police officer spotted the suspect’s car and started to chase it.

“A call came in of shots fired in a neighborhood and someone shooting a gun at 4, 5 am is a little odd so someone called it in, and we responded and were initially unable to locate but then when they did locate him, he fled back to his residence,” said Edenfield.

Edenfield said once the suspect circled back to his home, he started firing again -- this time at an officer.

“The police officer pulls in right behind the suspect and deputies are obviously responding a short distance behind and shortly upon arriving at the scene the Sneads police officer became under fire the suspect began firing at him s obviously he returned fire and a short time later the suspect fled into the residence,’ said Edenfield.

The sheriff’s deputies and Sneads police officer went into the house and arrested the suspect.

“Fortunately the suspect was the one that got shot and not the police officer,” said Edenfield.

This is not the first time the Sneads Police Department has had an officer involved a shooting, the latest one back in July that left an officer injured.

Chief of Police Mike Miller said this makes them focus more on officer safety.

“Whenever they’re responding to calls, it makes us think more about what we could potentially be going into. It is very out of the norm too for this area especially to have stuff like this happen as close together as it has,” said Miller.

The investigation has been turned over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Officials have not released any other details about what prompted the response by law enforcement. They say the suspect is being transported to the hospital, and this is an open investigation. We plan to update this story as we learn more.