The 23-year-old shot and killed by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer following an undercover drug operation was not armed, according to the preliminary investigation.
But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a threat, according to Director Mike Bruno.
“We had an attempted murder of a police officer and someone that is showing total disregard for any residents in the area,” he says.
The situation started earlier in the day Thursday. JSO was in the St. Nicholas area conducted several "buy-bust" drug deals. Their work through the day led to six arrests.
Bruno says when some undercovers were driving around the area, they used signals to set up another deal with a man in the road. He eventually directed them to the Mayfair Village apartments off Beach Boulevard, where another man drove up in a stolen car to deal crack cocaine, according to JSO.
The driver has now been identified as 23-year-old Victo Larosa. JSO says after the deal, the undercovers gave a signal to take the suspects down, but Larosa tried to flee.
He first allegedly backed up, ramming a JSO cruiser who had pulled up to pin him in. Larosa then started to pull forward over the sidewalk, hitting 24-year JSO veteran, Sergeant D.R. White, sending him in the air.
“Detectives on the scene thought he was dead right there, being thrown that high in the air and then landing on his head,” Bruno says.
White was released from the hospital overnight. Bruno says he received minor injuries all over his body, as well as a “serious” head injury, but is in good spirits and expected to recover.
Larosa’s car was eventually stopped when he hit an apartment building and was pinned by another cop car. He then took off on foot, and Bruno says several officers chased him and several cruisers pursued.
Bruno says Larosa then crossed in to some backyards in the area and tripped. When he was down, Bruno says he twisted to face officers approaching him.
“As the officer is giving him verbal commands, he shoves his hands down to his waistband and the officer fired his service weapon eight times,” he says.
Preliminary results show 9-year veteran Detective M.A. Boree connected with five gunshots on Larosa, who was pronounced dead on the scene. A formal autopsy is still pending. Bruno says, at this time, it doesn’t appear Larosa was armed with any weapon.
“There’s no such thing as acceptable losses. We critique and evaluate all of our operations,” Bruno says.
Bruno was asked about the officers’ discretion to conduct the drug deal in the busy complex. He says they have to investigate the busy areas of town because deals occur there, and if they don’t take them out, the activity will continue to “fester”. He says the officers did use good discretion by not shooting at the initial scene inside of the complex, because of all of the bystanders.
The City will be assisting people at the apartments who have damage to their cars or property as a result of this incident, according to Bruno.
The search continues for the suspect who the undercover officers initially approached and who coordinated the deal. He’s described as a black male between 5’9”-5’10” with short dreads. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts.
Sign Up
