POWERED BY
(NSFW) Robbery Suspect Armed With Knife Forces Officer Involved Shooting
Published 3 years ago
Jacksonville police responded to the Northside Grocery at Trout Road and Lem Turner Rd. after receiving reports of an individual armed with a large knife, who was threatening to rob and kill people within the area.
The suspect, later identified as 39-year-old John Robert Ritter walked into Northside Grocery armed with a butcher knife and began stating he was going to rob someone. In response, an employee contacted 911 around 0900 hours seeking assistance in removing Ritter from the area before Ritter caused any harm to innocent civilians.
Officer Tim J. Davis, an 11-year Sheriff’s Office veteran was of the first responding officer to the scene. Officer Davis was persistent on providing Ritter with commands to drop the weapon, repeating time and time again that "it's not worth it". Ritter refusing to drop the knife, yells back to the officer "shoot me" and "you better shoot me". In an attempt to use non-lethal measures, officer Davis utilized his taser on Ritter, but was deflected by a t-shirt and hoodie.
After the failed taser attempt, Ritter began approaching officer Davis, where shortly after a shot from the service weapon was fired. Striking Ritter in the chest, he immediately dropped to the ground, almost in surprise that the officer had shot him.
Ritter was provided medical aid on the scene until medical transport arrived to take him to a local hospital. Ritter survived his injuries and made a full recovery. He was later charged with one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one count of burglary.