Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An armed suspect fleeing the scene of a shooting in Florida was injured after an officer shot him in the leg during a chase early Saturday, police said.
Two officers, including a training recruit, were investigating reports of a shooting involving a black car that left two people injured, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director Tom Hackney said.
While at the scene, the officers saw a black car drive by, and attempted to stop it, Hackney said.
The car sped off, and the two officers pursued with sirens blaring.
Hackney said the officers saw a passenger in the vehicle jump out and run into a wooded ditch behind a home. The suspect, identified as Criss Deon Coleman, 19, had a firearm in clear view, Hackney said.
Police said later that the weapon was recovered. Coleman was also a registered felon in Duval County, said Hackney.
Officer Matt Hice, a six-year veteran who was training the new officer, chased Coleman behind a house, Hackney said.
“In the backyard something transpired that caused him to deploy deadly force against the suspect,” he said.
Coleman, who is black, was hit once in the leg, and sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, Hackney said.
Hice, whose race is not known, was involved in one previous shooting incident where he missed his intended target, Hackney said. He is on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Police say the two victims of the earlier shooting made their own way to a hospital and were being treated for injuries that were not life threatening.
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