‘He was swinging at parents’: Police shoot man with ax outside Florida school

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Police shot a man outside of a Florida school after they said he was threatening people with an ax and trying to get inside the building.

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Police told WJAX that the suspect was on the campus of Ruth Upson Elementary in Jacksonville on Friday afternoon with an ax, and attempted to gain access to the school’s buildings.

“He had an ax and he was swinging at parents right in front of the school,” Bruce Perkins, a parent, told WJAX.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Eric David Hurley, WJAX reported.

Police told WJAX that Hurley tried to get into the school at two different points, one of which was a gate into the kindergarten building. Both places were locked, according to protocol.

School district police responded to the scene, where they said they intercepted the suspect who was heading toward a nearby church.

“At that time, the subject threatened the officer with the ax. The subject was then shot at least one time,” Duval County Public School Police Chief Gregory Burton told WJAX.

District Superintendent Diana Greene told WJAX that a member of the staff noticed the suspect trying to get into the school and immediately called a code red. From there, protocol was followed exactly, which meant watching the suspect while waiting for school police to intervene.

“Our teachers and staff members all went into action doing what they were supposed to do,” Greene told WJAX. “So, our message is that we need to keep vigilant, never let our guard down and constantly support our schools and making sure that our children and our staff members are safe.”

The suspect was taken to a hospital and was last reported to be in critical condition, according to WJAX.

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