JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Family have identified Michael Hughes as the North Carolina man shot and killed by an officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.
The deadly officer-involved shooting happened at the Quality Inn on Youngerman Circle in Jacksonville, Florida.
Police were called four times to the same motel on Tuesday before the encounter that led to Hughes being shot and killed and an officer being Tasered, authorities said.
Sherrie Craig, who lives in North Carolina, told Channel 9 affiliate WJAX she is Hughes’ ex-wife and a longtime friend. WJAX spoke with Craig while she was with Hughes’ family.
“They are completely distraught,” Craig said. “It’s really difficult.”
She said the family found out what happened from Hughes’ girlfriend.
“We don’t have much information at all,” Craig said. “We need to know exactly what’s going on, what happened.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it responded to the motel four times Tuesday, all in response to the same suspect. Police said the final call came in at 12:37 p.m. in reference to a domestic dispute.
JSO Chief TK Waters said the suspect refused to comply with officers’ commands.
“He did not want to be arrested, so he fought,” Waters said.
The chief said Hughes threatened to kill police and a fight ensued.
“The officer could be heard yelling, ‘He’s going for my Taser. He’s got my Taser,’” Waters said.
According to police, Hughes Tasered the officer with his own Taser. Waters said that’s when the officer fired his weapon several times. Police said the officer fired his weapon again when Hughes lunged toward officers.
“This is the first of us even hearing him being violent with someone,” Craig told WJAX.
Craig said it’s not the Hughes she knew.
“We don’t want him to be depicted as he was somebody evil because he really wasn’t evil,” Craig said. “He was a kind and sweet-hearted individual.”
Craig said Hughes had recently lost a relative and was upset.
“He wasn’t taking it easy,” Craig said. “He was going through emotional distress.”
The officer who fired his weapon is on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. JSO said he’s been with the agency for two years and this was his first officer-involved shooting.
The State Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent investigation.
Jacksonville police: Officers called to motel 4 times before deadly officer-involved shooting
Police were called four times to the same Argyle Forest motel on Tuesday before an incident that led to a male suspect being shot and killed and an officer being Tasered.
The first call to the Quality Inn on Youngerman Circle was at 6:24 a.m. Tuesday and the last was at 12:37 p.m., Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Chief T.K. Waters said. All four calls involved the same people.
During the last call, a woman told police that the man pushed the door to the motel room open after leaving earlier. Waters said the suspect refused to respond to anything the officers were saying.
During the fight between the suspect and two officers who were trying to arrest him, the suspect was heard saying, “I’m going to kill you,” Waters said. The officers involved were wearing body-worn cameras.
According to the chief, Officer J.H. Wing said, “He’s going for my Taser, he’s got my Taser.”
As the Taser was “cycling,” Waters said Wing fired his weapon. The suspect lunged and Wing fired again, Waters said.
Wing’s injuries consisted of a bruise on his face and a contact wound from the Taser. Wing was the only officer who fired shots, Waters said.
The suspect was handcuffed after the fight, when he was wounded, which is part of JSO policy, Waters said.
As soon as the suspect was handcuffed, officers began CPR, Waters said.
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