Gunshot that Killed Ponte Vedra Beach Man Not Self-Inflicted | News

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The gunshot wound to the head that killed a man at an apartment complex Thursday evening was not self-inflicted.

A statement released Friday afternoon from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office said the case is still under investigation and that a preliminary autopsy showed the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and that it was not self-inflicted.

The man has been identified by SJCSO Corp. Catherine Payne as as Daryl Atkins, 59.

Deputies said the incident started at about 8:30 Thursday night when a crisis team, hostage negotiators and a SWAT team  responded to a call that a man at The Fountains condominiums off A1A North was "despondent."

The man was inside a home armed with a rifle that he fired at deputies,  according to SJCSO Sgt. Chuck Mulligan.

He said deputies found the body after sending a robot to the man's door. The standoff lasted about three hours.

The standoff rattled the condo community; deputies evacuated some of the man's neighbors as a precaution. Eventually, they were allowed to return to their homes after finding Atkins. 

"I was sitting on my couch watching TV and I heard some popping noises that sounded like fireworks or gunfire and I looked outside my window and there were about six cop cars out front.  I, of course, yelled to my children to get out of the shower and get on the floor and get in my bedroom," said resident Cynthia Holmes.

The three deputies who originally responded to the call were unharmed.

The SJCSO deputies involved are Deputy David Rosado, Corp. Paul Clark, and
Sgt. David Tarbert. They have been placed on administrative leave per
agency policy.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Medical
Examiner's Office for the 7th Judicial Circuit, and the SJCSO are investigating the shooting.