A fugitive murder suspect was shot dead by police Friday afternoon after they found him hiding outside a Normandy Boulevard home near Jacksonville, Fla., authorities said as they wrapped up a four-day manhunt.
"The people of this community can rest safely tonight," Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Undersheriff Frank Mackesy said.
Christopher Scott Kilgore, 33, was hiding in a 17-foot boat on a trailer near a home in the 17200 block of Normandy Boulevard, not far from where he was confronted by an armed homeowner early Tuesday morning.
Police said the fugitive shot and killed his brother, 29-year-old Raymond Kilgore, and 21-year-old James Coody, and wounded his parents.
Coody's funeral was Friday.
Mackesy said officers had remained in the area from the previous day's search and responded in just a couple of minutes when a resident reported dogs barking at something suspicious about 12:05 p.m. He said the officers pinned Kilgore in a wooded area behind a home, established a perimeter and waited for SWAT members to arrive.
Police said Kilgore did not fire, but refused several commands to surrender before SWAT team officers opened fire shortly before 1 p.m. Mackesy said a handgun and a shotgun were found next to Kilgore's body.
A heavy police presence remained in the area for several hours while officers cautiously approached Kilgore's body and confirmed he was dead.
Mackesy said police did not immediately notify the media it was Kilgore who was shot so they could first notify his parents.
The officers involved in the shooting were Jared Reston and Chuck Pearson, both SWAT officers, and K-9 Officer Tim Stafford. None of them were injured. Reston, the current Florida Law Officer of the Year, became prominent when he was shot seven times in a shootout with an 18-year-old shoplifter near the Regency Mall in 2008 and was able to return fire and kill the suspect.
"Give up, give up," Mackesy said of what the officers told Kilgore. "He chose not to do that."
Mackesy did not say how many shots were fired by officers. He said there was no evidence to indicate Kilgore fired any shots, but added that there was the possibility Kilgore had access to a rifle in the boat.
"Unfortunately, members of the JSO found themselves in the position where they had to use deadly force, but a byproduct of that is that this community can rest safely," Mackesy said.
Kilgore was gunned down about 12 miles from where investigators said he killed his brother and Coody and shot his parents, police said.
Mackesy said the owner of the home where Kilgore was hiding told police that their dogs had been barking for two days at the home, and the homeowner's girlfriend heard the dogs again Friday, prompting her to call police. When police responded, that's when the exchange of gunfire took place, Mackesy said.
"She did the exact right thing under these circumstances," Mackesy said. "She heard something suspicious. She called the police."
The homeowner's son, Tim Yates, told Channel 4 his family had been suspicious their property might be a place where Kilgore could decide to hide.
"I told my dad, 'Well, if you're suspicious, you might as well investigate it,'" Yates said. "That's a real good spot to hide because it's private land, all fenced off and there's trails in there."
"We were literally looking for a needle in a haystack," Mackesy said of the search for Kilgore over the last several days. "There are a million places that a person can hide. ... A desperate person's going to take desperate measures."
Mackesy said there were shotgun shells strategically placed in the boat. "Who knows what he was thinking," Mackesy said.
The land is not far from Clay Hill Elementary, which had been on some level of lockdown since Wednesday. Larry Davis, the school's principal, said a fall festival planned for Friday night would take place and would feel like more of a celebration for the community after having lived in fear all week.
"We know that we're safe now," Davis said.
