14-Yr-Old Boy Brandishing Airsoft Gun Shot At 7 Times By Officer, Hit Once

A Jacksonville teen with a history of mental illness is recovering after he pulled an airsoft handgun from his waistband late Friday and was then shot by an officer responding to a call of an armed prowler at a Northside townhouse, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Officer Josh Livingood, who has been with the department for two years, was the second officer to respond to the Maple Crest Townhome apartment complex off Harts Road after a woman twice reported someone armed with a pellet gun or BB gun was shooting her windows and doors, said Director Tom Hackney.

Livingood fired six shots at the 14-year-old black male, hitting him once in the leg, Hackney said.

The teen dropped the gun and Livingood was able to kick it away before the teen could recover the weapon, Hackney said.

The teen’s gun, designed to be non-lethal, was a gold imitation of a 50-caliber Desert Eagle pistol with an orange tip, Hackney said. He said the teen was about 25 feet from Livingood and the woman who reported a prowler was near the officer.

Two unoccupied cars behind the teen were hit at least three times but the 14-year-old was the only one injured in the shooting.