FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Chapman
Phone: (904) 255-3004
Cell: (904) 524-6626
ChapmanD@coj.net
March 27, 2024
JURY FINDS NAVARRO GUILTY OF ATTEMPTED MURDER, ASSAULT ON POLICE
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that a Duval County jury found Abel Navarro guilty of one count of Attempted Second-Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer and seven counts of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer. With the verdict, Navarro faces life in Florida State Prison. The Honorable Mark Borello will sentence Navarro at a later date.
On May 11, 2021, detectives with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office assigned to the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force were able to determine Navarro was inside an Arlington home. Navarro had an active arrest warrant for Robbery and Kidnapping. JSO SWAT Team and K-9 Units assembled outside to take Navarro into custody. Officers made an announcement over a loudspeaker instructing Navarro to surrender peacefully. Navarro then began shooting at the officers outside including a police dog. Navarro tried to run from the home and was shot by officers. He was taken to the hospital for treatment, and officers secured a search warrant for the home. Detectives found his handgun with spent shell casings inside the home. Navarro is a previously convicted felon and is not legally allowed to possess a firearm.
The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Trey Atkinson and Blake Adams.