Dinsmore officer-involved shooting ends with man’s death after domestic call and knife encounter, JSO says

What officials say happened

A man died early Friday after being shot by three Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers in the Dinsmore area during an encounter that followed a reported domestic disturbance.

JSO said the initial call came in at about 10:10 p.m. Thursday as a domestic disturbance report. By the time officers arrived at the reported location, the man involved had already left, officials said. Officers then spoke with his wife, who told them he had threatened her and made statements indicating that both of them were going to die that night.

JSO said officers also contacted the man by phone. During that call, he made statements indicating he would not return to prison and that officers would have to kill him.

How the encounter unfolded on Fox Tail Lane

Based on information provided by the wife, officers believed the man had gone to a family member’s home on Fox Tail Lane. JSO said officers coordinated with units already in the Dinsmore area and went to the Fox Tail Lane address at around 12:30 a.m. Friday.

When officers arrived, they saw the man’s vehicle parked outside a residence and approached. JSO said the man was seated in the car and spoke briefly with officers, who then asked him to exit.

Officials said that as the man got out of the car, he grabbed a knife and began moving aggressively toward officers while shouting words to the effect that they would have to shoot him. JSO said the man continued to advance and the officers fired multiple rounds.

JSO identified the man as Jose Cabrera, 62.

JSO said Cabrera was taken into custody and transported to a hospital, where he later died. No officers were injured, officials said.

Officers involved and next steps in the investigation

JSO identified the officers who fired their weapons as W. Morris, G. Griffis and R. Rhoden. Officials said the three officers were new to the job and that this was their first night working on their own.

Sheriff T.K. Waters said the officers’ experience level did not affect their response and that they acted based on the threat they perceived. JSO leadership emphasized that officers are trained to protect themselves and the public during edged-weapon encounters when a person is advancing on them.

As with other officer-involved shootings in Jacksonville, the State Attorney’s Office is expected to conduct an independent review. After that process is complete, JSO said it will conduct its own internal investigation.

Context: officer-involved shootings this week

• JSO said this was the second officer-involved shooting involving its officers this week.
• Officials said the earlier incident involved a separate fatal shooting during a foot chase after a man was spotted in a stolen vehicle and later pulled a handgun.

Investigations into both incidents remain ongoing, and additional details are expected as reviewing agencies complete their findings.