Man shot, killed by Nassau County deputy

YULEE, Fla. – A burglary suspect was shot and killed by a Nassau County deputy in an upscale Yulee neighborhood Monday morning, according to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said Deputy Wilfred Quick was responding to reports of home and car burglaries in the Golf Club at North Hampton subdivision at about 11:15 a.m. when he confronted the suspect on Amagansett Drive. During an altercation, Quick shot and killed the man, who has not been identified.

Deputies said the man was jumping on cars and may have been on drugs. They said Quick deployed a Taser gun and was unsure if he hit the suspect.

"That individual attacked the officer. A fight took place," Leeper said. "He tried to Taze him. That didn't work. The individual was shot and died at the scene."

Witnesses said they heard three shots, a scream and then one more shot.

Richard Weigle was just down the street at the time of the shooting talking to a customer about painting a house. He said the sound of gunfire startled everyone on the block.

"It was the same gun for sure," Weigle said. "Pistol shots -- they were the same shots."

Quick was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement responded to the scene and will investigate.

Quick, 40, began working at the Sheriff's Office in 2003 as a corrections deputy. In January 2006 he began working as a patrol deputy.

Resident Hank Hurst said someone texted him a photo of the burglary suspect shot dead in his own front yard. Witnesses said the barefoot man was seen breaking into garages and cars before deputies confronted him.

"It's unreal. I can't imagine," Hurst said. "Let's just say my daughter or son were playing out there under the hoops and they had the day off, what could happen with stray bullets?"


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Tarik anchors the 4, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. weekday newscasts and reports with the I-TEAM.