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Jacksonville sheriff’s SWAT officers shot and killed 44-year-old Calixto Beavenutti after he refused to comply and fired shots outside his home, alarming neighbors.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man was shot and killed by Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office SWAT officers early Wednesday after the agency says the man did not comply with officers’ commands and alarmed neighbors by shooting a gun about 8-10 times at his home before police showed up.
JSO Chief Alan Parker said around 8 p.m. Tuesday, two people who live in the 7700 block of Lenox Avenue called the sheriff’s office and reported hearing gunshots.
When officers arrived on scene just after 8 p.m., Parker said the man, identified as 44-year-old Calixto Beavenutti, got into a verbal altercation with officers and went inside his home.
Parker said Beavenutti was holding a gun while yelling at officers, but never pointed it at them at this time.
According to Parker, Beavenutti “definitely wouldn’t comply” with officers’ orders and kept going in and out of his home.
Parker said officers then requested a SWAT team based on the circumstances unfolding.
When the SWAT unit arrived, Parker said Beavenutti shot his gun once.
“We don’t know at this time if he shot at SWAT or not, that’s part of the investigation, but he did fire one round when they got on scene,” said Parker.
Parker said SWAT talked to Beavenutti through a megaphone for a couple of hours, and that the 44-year-old kept walking in and out of his home with his gun.
Parker said Beavenutti pointed his gun at SWAT officers several times, but noted that SWAT officers were in “positions of cover.”
Then at an unknown time, Parker said Beavenutti came out of his home and went to a neighbor’s home, all while Parker said he still wasn’t complying with officers’ commands.
Parker said officers told Beavenutti to stop and drop his gun as he kept walking up to the neighbor’s home, and when he didn’t, SWAT officers shot him.
Members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department then arrived on scene and pronounced Beavenutti dead, according to Parker.
“If we get to a point where we have to use deadly force, it’s gonna be because it’s necessary and it had to be done at that point,” Sheriff T.K. Waters said. “And this is the situation that we were put in tonight. That gentleman could not be allowed to enter into another residence, we cannot allow him to take a hostage.”
Parker said according to Beavenutti’s family, Beavenutti showed signs of schizophrenia, although he was not diagnosed with the illness.
Parker said Beavenutti’s family also told JSO that Beavenutti was “trying to self-medicate with Xanax, meth and alcohol.”
“And today, apparently what set him off, is he was upset he couldn’t get any meth or Xanax today, so he kinda went off, and it looks like he started drinking and everything escalated throughout the day,” Parker said.
This shooting marks JSO’s 9th officer-involving shooting of 2025, according to Parker; JSO had eight officer-involved shootings for all of 2024.