Police ID man shot, killed by Jacksonville officer following robbery, chase
The ID of a man shot and killed by a Jacksonville sheriff’s officer Wednesday has been released.
He is 20-year-old Jamari Akins, Jacksonville police said Thursday morning.
Just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, a customer inside Family Dollar on Soutel Drive in the Harborview area overheard a masked gunman threatening a clerk — saying, “Give me your money or I’ll shoot you,” police said.
The customer called 911 and moments later, Jacksonville Officer Mercado spotted the suspect, Jamari Akins, on Norfolk Boulevard and chased him on foot. JSO said the officer tackled the suspect, but while they were on the ground, Akins fired two shots, striking Mercado in the leg.
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The officer returned fire, striking Akins who was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Mercado was treated and released from the hospital Wednesday.
Jamari Akins, 20, was shot to death Wednesday after he shot a Jacksonville officer in the leg following a robbery at Family Dollar on Soutel Drive.
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