By Mark Price
The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Sunday morning domestic dispute turned deadly when the enraged boyfriend attacked a squad car with his hands and feet, then charged at the deputy, according to investigators in North Florida.
Michael Lee Wright, 40, was shot multiple times as he neared Officer Patrick Burke with what was later identified as a pair of scissors, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The shooting happened around 11 a.m. Sunday, May 4, outside a home in the 8900 block of Normandy Boulevard , the department said.
“Earlier in the week, the suspect ... overdosed on drugs,” the sheriff’s office said. “His girlfriend reported to us she decided she wanted to leave the home, but when she tried to leave, Wright blocked her vehicle and threw things at her. She was able to drive to a nearby gas station and ask an officer to escort her back to the home so she could gather her things.”
Burke was her escort, but his arrival outside the home sent Wright into rage, officials said.
“The suspect comes out and literally begins to attack the officer’s vehicle,” the sheriff’s office reported. ”He’s banging on it (and) may or may not have thrown something at it. ... He got up on the hood at one point, banging on the hood.”
Burke put his vehicle in reverse to try and back away from the home, but Wright followed the car down the street, striking at the driver’s side door, officials said.
The confrontation came to an end when the deputy got out with his gun drawn and ordered Wright to drop the scissors.
“Wright then charged at the officer, and that’s when the officer shot him,” the sheriff’s office said, noting Wright repeatedly told the officer, “Go ahead, kill me.”
He died after being taken to a hospital.
A pair of scissors was found under the patrol car, officials said.
Burke has been with the department five years, and this is the first time he has been involved in a use of deadly force, officials said.
“The State Attorney’s Office is investigating. Once its investigation is complete, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will conduct its own investigation,” the sheriff’s office said.
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