YULEE, FL — A Nassau County deputy-involved shooting in Yulee ended with two family members dead Thursday morning after a call for a possible home invasion turned into a deadly confrontation. Sheriff Bill Leeper said deputies were sent to the Pirates Wood neighborhood around 2 a.m. and heard gunfire inside the house when they arrived.
According to Leeper, deputies on Doubloon Way went back to their patrol cars to retrieve rifles after hearing shots. A man then ran into the wooded area near the home, turned, and fired at the deputies with a handgun. Deputies returned fire, and the man died at the scene despite first aid efforts.
Deputies say gunfire started inside the home before the confrontation outside
Leeper said deputies first responded to a report of a home invasion in the Pirates Wood subdivision, off Blackrock Road about five miles north of State Road 200. While they were checking the scene, they heard shots coming from inside the residence. That prompted the deputies to move back and prepare for a more dangerous encounter.
The sheriff said the man then emerged from the house and fled toward the tree line. Once outside, he allegedly turned back toward the deputies and fired. The deputies used rifles in the exchange, and no deputies were hurt. Authorities have not said how many rounds were fired or exactly how long the gun battle lasted.
Authorities say the son killed his father before running from the house
After the shooting outside ended, deputies entered the home and found a man dead from gunshot wounds. They also found a woman inside who was not injured. Leeper said the preliminary evidence indicates the adult son shot and killed his father before leaving the house and getting into the confrontation with deputies.
The sheriff described the deaths as a family tragedy, and the sequence of events remains under investigation. Officials have not released the names of the people involved. The woman found inside the home was unharmed, but investigators have not detailed her relationship to the two men or whether she witnessed the shooting.
First aid was given at the scene but the man died
Deputies tried to help the man after the exchange of gunfire, according to Leeper. He said they applied first aid, including tourniquets to the man’s arm and leg, before emergency responders confirmed he had died at the scene. The sheriff did not say whether the wounds were from the deputies’ gunfire, the earlier shooting inside the home, or both.
The incident left the neighborhood facing a sudden and violent scene in the early morning hours. Police activity centered on Doubloon Way, a residential street off a major road in northeast Nassau County. Officials have not said whether anyone else was taken into custody or whether other weapons were recovered at the scene.
State investigators are reviewing the deputy-involved shooting
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the shooting involving the deputies, Leeper said. Separately, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the domestic shooting inside the home. That split reflects the two parts of the case: the fatal shooting inside the residence and the subsequent exchange of gunfire outside.
At this stage, officials have not announced any charges or identified a motive. They also have not said what prompted the original home invasion call, beyond the fact that deputies were responding to a reported emergency in the neighborhood. The findings of both investigations will determine how the case is formally classified.
What is known and what remains unanswered after the deadly Yulee scene
So far, authorities say a father and son are dead, a woman was unharmed, and no deputies were injured. The sheriff’s account indicates the son killed his father, ran from the home, and then fired at deputies before being shot and dying. The events unfolded shortly after 2 a.m. in a quiet residential area near Blackrock Road.
Investigators still have not provided a full timeline, the identities of the people involved, or the reason for the shooting inside the house. As the Florida Department of Law Enforcement reviews the deputy-involved shooting, Nassau County investigators are focused on the domestic violence portion of the case and the circumstances that led to the original emergency call.
