Jacksonville Police Officer Jeremy Mason Shot While Pursuing Bank Robbery Suspect

A Jacksonville police officer was shot in the face during a shootout while he was pursuing a bank robbery suspect, the city’s police department said. The suspect was also killed in the incident that occurred Tuesday afternoon in the Florida city.

In a press conference broadcast on Facebook, Sheriff’s Office Director Mike Bruno said the officer, Jeremy Mason, was alert while being taken to the hospital. In a tweet posted later, the sheriff’s office said he was in stable condition.

The incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. EDT with K9 and patrol officers who were patrolling the area of Old Middleburg Road and Fire Tower Road, following a lead on a suspect in two bank robberies on Monday and Tuesday.

They spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s car near the 1000 block of Golfair Boulevard. The suspect then got out of his vehicle and into a silver vehicle with a woman driver. The officers pursued him, with Mason — a K9 officer — driving the lead car and the others following behind him, Bruno said. During the two-mile chase, the officer radioed to say that multiple shots were being fired from the fleeing vehicle, striking the officer’s windshield and fender several times. The suspects stopped near Old Middleburg Road and Buttercup Street and the police were unsure whether this was due to a crash that was caused by the suspect or by lawful means of an officer attempting to stop the pursuit.

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The suspect then got out of the vehicle again and a shootout ensued, in which Mason suffered a shot to the chin area and was taken to the hospital. The woman in the car fled the scene, and another civilian was also transported from the scene after a traffic crash. The police said they were trying to determine if the cause of the accident was the suspect’s vehicle or if it was caused by the officer’s car.

Meanwhile, prayers started pouring in for Mason on social media, with Bruno saying he was ‘fortunate and blessed’ to be alive. He added that Mason was having a hard time speaking but was able to.

The police said they were working on canvassing the area for witnesses and were trying to gather more details. They were still unsure of the role of the female driver in the incident.

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The suspect who was shot is thought to be related to an armed robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank that happened Monday. Surveillance pictures of the man that were released by the Jacksonville police showed that he appeared to be in his 30's, wore a black "RVCA" ball cap, black shirt, black shirt and had a white bag with him.

According to reports, the man walked into the bank in the Cedar Hills neighborhood at 10:15 a.m. EDT Monday and stood in line. When he got to the counter, he told the teller to “look at him,” and lifted his shirt to show a black handgun in his waistband as he demanded money, police said. The teller put the money put in a white bag before the man ran out and drove off in a vehicle, police said. The sheriff’s office released the picture and asked locals to be on a lookout for the man.