Four shot in Oakleaf, leaving two dead, including home intruder

 OAKLEAF – Two people were dead, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office was busy piecing together information after a 45-year-old Jacksonville man barged into a home in the 300 block of Pine Oaks Lane off Challenger Drive early Monday.

According to CCSO Undersheriff Ron Lendvay, three people were shot inside the home by Maurico Vasco Lopez before someone inside the home shot Lopez. One of the three in the house was declared dead at the scene, and the other two were transported to local hospitals, where Lendvay said they are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Lopez was taken to the hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

“Detectives responded to work the scene and interviewed victims and witnesses at the time that this took place,” Lendvay said. “Preliminary investigative findings reveal that 45-year-old Maurico Vasco Lopez of Jacksonville arrived at the home armed with a handgun. He shot three people before somebody present at the home shot him.”

Lendvay made statements and answered questions while Sheriff Michelle Cook stood by. She turned to the undersheriff because “as you can tell by my voice, I’ve been fighting a pretty tough cold.”

Lendvay said there were at least eight people inside the house when Lopez entered around 6 a.m. Detectives were working to determine whether Lopez was connected to anyone inside the home, and if any of the eight were minors.

“Our detectives and crime scene techs have a lot of interviews, scene work and follow-ups to conduct to clarify exactly what happened here and what the motive may have been,” Lendvay said. “We're confident that there is no further threat to the community now that the suspect has passed away. Our thoughts are with neighbors here in this neighborhood, and those who had to live through this traumatic event. We'll provide more details as we can.”

Lendvay said the person who returned fire probably kept the situation from getting worse.

“It certainly could have been much more tragic,” he said. “Somebody in there helped save folks, and I think we all owe that person a debt of gratitude.”

Lopez admittedly had been suffering from some mental and erratic behavior issues. On Sept. 6, he posted an apology on Facebook that read, in part: “I just wanted to go ahead and apologize for (ny) behavior for the last 2 weeks. Unfortunately on my last hospitalization, they cut off the medicine we had determined was best for me. The problem with most psychotherapeutic drugs or substances is that they work best in a cumulative effect.” Another part of the post read, “…the stress of running multiple companies finally broke my mind down into my PTSD self ..where I start thinking everyone is an enemy and (dont) trust anyone….(ita) so awful.”

CCSO: Melrose man arrested for firing slingshot at neighbor

MELROSE – A 69-year-old man faces additional charges after the Clay County Sheriff’s Office said he fired projectiles on Aug. 9 with a slingshot at a man who was grading Easement Road.

Charles Jeffrey McPherson, of Melrose, was initially charged with simple assault on Aug. 29. CCSO decided to charge him on Saturday, Sept. 13, with firing a missile toward a vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after the victim recorded McPherson pulling back on a slingshot and firing an “item” toward him while he was doing roadwork with his tractor. According to the arrest report, a metal “clank” was heard striking the tractor.

The two men know each other and have had “numerous” incidents about the easement on Easement Road, according to the arrest report.

McPherson’s bond was set at $150,008.

Seatbelt warning leads to pair being arrested for fentanyl

MIDDLEBURG – Two men were arrested during a traffic stop after Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies reported that the driver wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, and they wound up going to jail when they were caught with fentanyl.

Thomas David Daly, 35, of Fleming Island, was charged with possessing fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. At the same time, John Otis Doster Jr., 37, of Middleburg, was accused of possessing fentanyl, methamphetamine and alprazolam after CCSO deputies stopped a car driven by Daly at the intersection of Peppergrass Street and Mayapple Court on Wednesday, Sept. 10. According to the arrest report, deputies said Daly wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.

K-9 Taz deputy sniffed the exterior of the car and alerted to the likely presence of illegal narcotics.

Daly dropped a small cut baggie when he was removed from the car, and deputies found fentanyl and a used syringe wrapped in foil in the door panel, CCSO said.

Doster was removed from the front passenger seat, and deputies found a baggie on the floorboard where he was sitting. It contained methamphetamine, fentanyl and alprazolam.

Daly also received a verbal warning for not wearing his seatbelt.

Daly’s bond was set at $26,005, while Doster’s was $55,009.

Sheriff’s Office needs help investigating Knight Boxx shooting

ORANGE PARK – On. Sept. 11, at approximately 10 p.m., the Clay County Sheriff’s Office received several 911 calls reporting shots fired in the Cypress Point Apartment Complex at 25 Knight Boxx Road.

Several of the victim’s friends were about to take him to the hospital when CCSO and the CCFRD arrived on scene and began rendering aid. The victim was hospitalized in stable condition and is expected to recover from his injuries. No one else was injured during the altercation.

Dozens of interviews were conducted during the initial investigation after multiple witnesses came forward. Several vehicles were involved in the incident and were scattered throughout the complex, necessitating the closure of a large section of the complex while the scene was processed.

CCSO appreciates the patience and cooperation of the community while we conducted our initial investigation. This appears to be an isolated incident stemming from an argument between the victim and suspect. The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has any information about this incident, don't hesitate to get in touch with Det. Kourtney Bowles at (904) 264-6512. You can also submit a tip through our SaferWatch app.

Ridgeview Elementary teacher, Clay High counselor suspended for inappropriate comments about Kirk’s murder

CLAY COUNTY – A Ridgeview Elementary teacher and a counselor at Clay High were suspended Thursday after their social media posts seemingly celebrated the assassination of political commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Kelly Brock-Sanchez, a second and third-grade teacher, was removed from the classroom after posting a photo of Kirk, along with this statement: “This may not be the obituary. We were all hoping to wake up to, but this is a close second for me.” It continued with the cut-and-paste headline: “Charlie Kirk killed in shooting at Utah campus event, Donald Trump says …”

She posted it under the Facebook page, Kelly SteelMagnolia.

Susan Horn, a counselor at Clay, was also suspended for posting the following message on her page, Susan Whittlesey Horn:

“I disagree with violence, and I’m a supporter of common-sense gun control. This man was perfectly fine with innocent children dying to protect his rights. 37 years in public education, ready to take a bullet for my kids. No I’m not shedding a tear, he chose to sacrifice himself for the rights be protected. Karma’s a bitch.”

A statement released by Clay County District Schools said Brock-Sanchez and Horn are being investigated by the district’s human resources department. Those investigations also prompted officials to suspend Brock-Sanchez and Horn from their duties.

The statement read:

“Clay County District Schools is aware of a recent social media post that has drawn attention in our community. The views expressed in this post do not reflect the values or beliefs of our schools or district, and we do not condone the content in any way.

“Our Human Resources department is actively reviewing the matter and taking action in line with district policy. We are addressing this situation with the utmost seriousness while remaining focused on supporting our students, staff and families.”

Clay High Principal Dr. Jen Halter emailed the same statement to parents of the school’s students.

In another post, Brock-Sanchez wrote: “Charlie Kirk had 2 kids and STILL SAID gun deaths were the cost to keep the 2^nd amendment……this philosophy led to his own death becoming an acceptable cost……one of the top five Trump surrogates. One less evil person on this planet.”

Most were outraged she seemed to be thrilled by Kirk’s murder, including Florida Sen. Jennifer Bradley, Clay County Commissioner Betsy Sistrunk Condon, Keystone Heights Mayor Nina Rodenroth and Florida Rep. Judson Sapp.

“I contacted Superintendent Broskie about the egregious behavior of a Clay teacher in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting,” Bradley said. “This teacher has been IMMEDIATELY SUSPENDED and an investigation will follow. This type of hate has no place in our schools and around our children. Thank you CCSB.”

Condon wrote, "How sad for Clay County that this person is teaching our children. No tolerance for this kind of evil! Pure evil."

Kirk was shot by a sniper on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at Utah Valley University, the first stop of his “The American Comeback Tour,” which included his “Prove Me Wrong Table.”

A 22-year-old man was arrested late Thursday and charged with the murder. Tyler Robinson, officials said, was the lone person responsible for the killing. He surrendered at the urging of his family.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office “had a presence” with extra deputies posted at the elementary before and after school. Parents picking up their children joined in the concern about what one man called Brock-Sanchez's “despicable” behavior.

“She absolutely should be suspended,” he said. “There’s no place for that kind of hate.”

A mother was angry about Brock-Sanchez’s reaction, saying, “She should be fired. I don’t want my child to be taught by that woman. It makes you wonder what she’s teaching them.”

Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas released a statement regarding the standards teachers are expected to follow:

"Teachers are held to a higher standard as public servants and must ensure their conduct does not undermine the trust of the students and families they serve."

The Florida Education Association, a union that represents more than 120,000 teachers, rallied to support any teacher facing disciplinary action for posting disparaging remarks. Its statement read:

"We want to take a moment to address what we have seen on social media today.

"Everyone deserves the right to be safe in their communities- whether that’s at home, in their schools or on college campuses. The union is here to support the rights of every educator across the state, and we will not stand quiet. In contrast, educators are tried in the court of public opinion instead of receiving the due process they deserve. Allowing threats and threatening those in our public school communities is counterproductive. As a union, we have always, and will always, stand for bringing people together. Now is the time to unite for safer, stronger communities for every American."