JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released bodycam footage of a man who was killed in a shootout during a traffic stop in Northwest Jacksonville on March 12.
Police said that around 9 a.m. that day, Officer AC Gaulding attempted a traffic stop on 33-year-old Brandon White near Trout River Boulevard and Ribault Avenue.
JSO said White was slow to stop and drove past several safe places until he pulled into a driveway and immediately began firing his handgun at Gaulding, hitting him in the foot.
In the video, Gaulding fired back at White, and as he moved to a position of cover, White can be seen grabbing a rifle and attempting to get out of his car. Gaulding fired again and incapacitated White.
Additional units arrived on the scene and provided emergency care to White, and he was taken to a hospital where he died.
Click the player above to the video.
RELATED | 1 killed in 3 unrelated shootings overnight in Jacksonville, police say
“It appears to me that he was on his way to do something to someone else,” Waters said.
“Fortunately, our officer is safe, and he’s hurt, but he’s in good spirits, and I’m just glad to see that he made it through this safely,” Waters said.
Dozens of JSO officers gave a salute to Gaulding outside of the hospital.
“All I can think is my thoughts and prayers about all the officers. A lot of them don’t get the credit they deserve. They’re putting their lives on the line every single day for us to keep us safe. And so it’s just, it’s something very sensing,” Resident Chris Trufant, who saw the heavy police presence outside UF Health, said.
Sheriff T.K. Waters said he didn’t know why Gaulding attempted the traffic stop.
“We always get a lot of questions about why we were doing something, or why he stopped him, or whether he was violating policy. The point of this is this morning is to say he was doing what he’s expected to do by the citizens of this community. He shouldn’t be shot at for that, but because he was shot at, he returned fire and was able to eliminate the threat. Now, that person cannot be a threat to anyone else,” Waters said.
JSO said the State Attorney’s Office would independently review the incident to assess the legality of the officer’s actions. Once that is complete, JSO will conduct its internal review to ensure the officer acted within policy.
Then, a Response to Resistance Board will convene, and the findings will be submitted to the Sheriff for final review.
Conclusions on the incident remain pending.