An off-duty police officer struck and killed a pedestrian during the early morning hours yesterday in Jacksonville's New Town neighborhood. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) reported that the male victim, who was in his mid-40s, was hit around 5:21 a.m. while walking on Kings Road.
The victim was not using a crosswalk at the time he was struck by the marked police car, according to details shared by First Coast News. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department pronounced him dead at the scene. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave following the incident. Commander Dan Shelton discussed the incident with First Coast News, saying, "We don't think speed was a factor at all, we think around that 30 mile an hour mark was what the officer was traveling."
This incident marks a grim milestone for the city, as it is the 157th traffic fatality in 2024 and the 43rd involving a pedestrian. Action News Jax reported that the collision occurred at the 1400 block of Kings Road and added that JSO temporarily closed the road from Whitner Street to Myrtle Avenue for about an hour.
Although there is surveillance video of the incident, which News4JAX obtained from a nearby home, it has not been released to the public due to its graphic nature. The speed limit on Kings Road is 30 mph, and JSO believes the officer was traveling at approximately this speed when the pedestrian was hit, having yet to suggest that speed played a role in the accident.
