Green Cove Springs Police opens internal investigation into armed hostage response during Christmas parade

GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. – The Green Cove Springs Police Department announced connected Sunday it volition unfastened an interior probe into however the section responded to a hostage concern that was occurring wrong the vicinity of the city’s Christmas parade connected Saturday night.

“Our section is alert of immoderate concerns expressed connected societal media related to patrol vehicles responding to the country portion the parade was inactive occurring,” a lengthy station connected societal media reads successful part. “Rest assured that immoderate concerns our citizens (sic) person construe into concerns we have. If immoderate officers’ actions were unreasonable, they volition beryllium decently addressed.”

Green Cove Springs Police, Clay County Sheriff’s Office and SWAT were called to the Speedway state presumption connected US 17 and State Road 16 conscionable aft 7 p.m. Saturday night. The clerk told deputies a antheral and pistillate were arguing extracurricular and past went into the bathroom.

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Police said the antheral held the pistillate hostage wrong the bath for much than 4 hours. Deputies closed down portions of the roads surrounding the presumption portion SWAT squad members and negotiators spoke to the man.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, a subordinate of the SWAT squad came face-to-face with the antheral and changeable him. The antheral was past taken into custody and sent to the hospital. News4JAX has learned the suspected antheral is 44-year-old Lancy L. Keenon of Palatka.

MORE: Deputy shoots fishy astatine Clay County state presumption during hostage standoff: Sheriff’s Office

Sheriff Cook said the woman, who was being held hostage, was rescued and is cooperating with detectives.

But commenters connected societal media voiced complaints astir however accelerated officers were driving done the parade way to respond to the concern and for officers having their guns drawn adjacent children.

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It’s not wide if paradegoers were told what was happening oregon if nationalist information accusation was being communicated with the crowd.

The 2021 Green Cove Springs Christmas Parade was good attended Saturday evening. Officers estimated this year’s parade “may person been the largest successful the city’s history.”

In caller weeks, information plans for Christmas parades crossed the state were reviewed and bolstered aft panic struck a metropolis Christmas parade successful Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Authorities said six radical were killed and implicit 60 were injured when a antheral driving an SUV ran implicit parade attendees and performers. How those who were struck fared depended connected wherever each idiosyncratic oregon radical was positioned successful the parade arsenic the SUV barreled forward.

However, contempt those locally with concerns astir the Green Cove Springs Police response, hundreds of commenters came to the defence of the section with galore penning acknowledgment for however officers enactment their lives astatine hazard to support the metropolis safe.

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News4JAX has near a connection with GCSP and volition update this communicative arsenic soon arsenic we perceive back.

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