Jacksonville police have been involved in their third officer-involved shooting. The latest incident occurred Sunday evening in the Brentwood area, where undercover officers shot 35-year-old Samuel Deandre Cook multiple times. First Coast News reports that police had initially responded to an armed drug complaint near Main Street North and 22nd Street East.
The incident occurred after undercover Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office task force officers were conducting surveillance in an unmarked vehicle following the drug complaint, Chief Michael Paul explained in a briefing reported by The Florida Times-Union. Around 7:18 p.m., Samuel Deandre Cook reportedly brandished a firearm at the officers, prompting them to fire through their windshield. Cook then fled, exchanging gunfire with officers over a two-block pursuit before being apprehended and taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters stated that it was unclear whether Samuel Deandre Cook knew he was confronting law enforcement officers. This is the third officer-involved shooting in the city this year, following two earlier incidents—one resulting in a fatality during a domestic dispute call and another leaving a suspect critically injured.
The officers involved in the January 11 Brentwood shooting, identified by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as R. Mills and S. Lyons, were unharmed. Samuel Deandre Cook, a convicted felon with prior charges related to drugs and resisting arrest, was shot and hospitalized. Last year, Jacksonville saw a notable increase in officer-involved shootings, with 17 people shot and 11 fatalities reported.
