JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man died after he and his best friend were attacked by another man armed with a knife Sunday, according to reports.
NBC affiliate WTLV reported that Jolene Bowlus and her best friend James Hoffman, were eating dinner on her porch at Pickett Street and Edgewood Avenue when they were approached by a young man.
“He asked me if I knew this girl named Pam. I said ‘no,’ He said ‘you’re a liar’ and he went bam, next thing I know I was lying on the ground,” Bowlus said.
After being briefly unconscious, Bowlus woke to Hoffman jumping to her defense, only to be stabbed by the young man.
“My little dog was barking, so he picked her up and killed her,” she told WTLV.
The female victim escaped, calling for help. She said she would not have survived if it weren’t for her best friend.
“He’s a hero,” Bowlus said. “He died a hero.”
In a press conference, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the suspect ended up getting killed after failing to heed a responding officer’s commands.
The sheriff’s office said the officer attempted to tase the suspect first, but that failed to stop him.
“The suspect then grabbed a large, metal bucket and ran toward our officer,” Director of Investigations Mark Romano said. “Our officer fired his weapon multiple times.”
The suspect was taken to a hospital where he died. The officer suffered a minor injury from the bucket, according to officials.
