Officer-involved shooting leaves suspect dead

NAVARRE, Fla. (WALA) - Authorities said what began as an attempt to serve warrants for counterfeiting on Avenida de Galvez Street, ended with a 4-hour standoff and their suspect, Jeffrey Wright, 55, dead.

Innes Richards has known Wright and his family for more than 20 years.

She said Wright had never acted violently before.

"He's not a person that anyone would have any concern about at all. I don't know what escalated things to this point," Richards said.

Deputies said when they arrived at the home to serve the warrants; Wright pulled what appeared to be a handgun and fled to the second floor.

They said he then barricaded the stairway, firing one shot and threatening to harm deputies.

Authorities said SWAT and negotiators were called in to try and get Wright to surrender, but he refused.

They said it ended when Wright sat down at the top of the stairs and raised a handgun towards the SWAT team.

Investigators said three deputies then shot Wright to death.

Richards said she can only guess at what led Wright to such drastic measures.

"I imagine he was just scared, and maybe had a fear of authority. He certainly wasn't a threat to any of us in the neighborhood, and he was very helpful. But he was a troubled man and had a lot of issues," Richards said.

Richards said Wright had recently moved back in with his parents at the Navarre home and was having trouble finding work.

"He was a good man, just troubled. It's a tragedy that things ended the way they did," Richards said.

Authorities said Richard was facing ten counterfeiting charges.

The three deputies, Sgt. Nathan Hall, Deputy Brian Miller and Detective Jerry Nash have been placed on administrative leave.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.