JACKSONVILLE, FL -- You may recall the story Friday out of Jacksonville, Florida in which a gunman, fleeing the scene of a bank robbery, commandeered a car at a fast food drive-through. In a shootout with pursuing police, the suspected robber was killed, but a two-year-old child in the carjacked vehicle was critically wounded by a police bullet. Tuesday we learned that the gunman was identified as 32-year-old Jeremiah Mathis. Jacksonville sheriff''s deputies list his address as 1436 Francis Street in Utica, New York.
According to the sheriff's department, Mathis robbed a Wachovia Bank late Friday afternoon. Deputies say he ordered customers to lie down on the floor, and threw two tellers to the ground. While fleeing the bank he approached a line of cars at a nearby Wendy's restaurant and opened the driver's door of a car waiting in line.
Here is the statement from Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford on how things unfolded next:
"At this point the pursuing officer heard the suspect yell “I’m gonna kill you.” This same officer then fired his agency issued shotgun at the armed suspect, who was standing outside the car with his gun pointed at the female driver. The gunman then overpowered the female driver, forcing her into the passenger seat. The suspect began driving the car toward Baymeadows Road where other officers had taken up tactical positions."
"As the car moved past them, two officers fired shots at the gunman. As the car went over the top of the median, another two officers fired at the gunman as he exited the vehicle, which was still rolling to a stop. As officers approached the victim’s car they discovered two small children in their car seats, in the back. The seven year old girl was unharmed, however, the two year old boy was struck by a bullet in the arm and in the upper torso. His mother, the driver of the vehicle, was also wounded in the incident, receiving a gunshot wound to the right foot. Their names are Daniel Crichton (2); Joann Cooper (35); Alexis Cooper (7). The gunman died of gunshot wounds at the scene. We have identified him, however family notification has not been successful, so we are not releasing his identity at this time. We know that he does have an out of state criminal record, which we’ll have for you as soon as it becomes available.
There were five officers involved in this incident, with a total of 42 rounds fired by JSO officers. The suspect’s firearm was recovered at the scene, loaded with six rounds, and had not been fired. This is all I can tell you at this time."
