A Florida man found guilty of the attempted murder of a police officer was sentenced Wednesday to life behind bars. But in addition to his crime and subsequent punishment, it was what his victim did at the would-be killer’s sentencing hearing that garnered attention.
In March 2016, Kevin Rojas, then 19, had a fight with his girlfriend. He then grabbed a firearm and drove away. However, an undercover Jacksonville narcotics officer noticed that he was driving in a dangerous manner and pulled him over.
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But Rojas took the opportunity to shoot at the unnamed officer, who was driving his young son to school at the time. The officer fired back, but was hit three times and critically wounded before Rojas ran away, stole a truck and headed back to his home, where he barricaded himself inside.
Rojas was eventually apprehended by police and found guilty in October of charges that included “attempted first-degree murder, attempted manslaughter, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, grand theft auto and fleeing,” according to the Florida Times-Union.
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On Wednesday, Rojas was finally sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.
During the sentencing hearing, Rojas’ victim started taunting him and calling him a coward. Pulling out a tube of K-Y jelly personal lubricant, the officer told Rojas, “You are going to need a lot of this.”
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Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said he was aware of what the officer said and will “address” the issue.
The officer, who was shot in the head during the incident, said during the hearing that his life has changed forever.
“Obviously that day changed my life, and it will never be the same,” he said, as reported by WJXT.
Still, the Army veteran officer noted he is glad someone else was not injured instead.
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“I will take those bullets instead of a fellow officer and an innocent bystander,” the officer said. “When I brought the fight back to you, you ran like a coward.”
The officer’s son was not injured in the altercation.
During the hearing to determine Rojas’ guilt, the officer detailed his harrowing experience.
“Once we’re stopped, I go to pick up my radio to call in the traffic stop,” he said, “but that’s when I noticed the car door opening. When I see the car door opening, I start to look behind me to go open my door. That’s when I hear the gunshots, and the glass shattering.”
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“As I clear the roof, he shoots me. I see him. He shoots me in the head. When he shoots me in the head, I get a whiplash back. I see the blood splatter. At this time, I know — I realize I got shot.”
Circuit Judge James Daniel, who presided over Rojas’s sentencing hearing, said it was beyond his understanding why Rojas would have started shooting at the police officer if he did not intend to kill him.
“I’m pretty sure Mr. Rojas doesn’t understand what the rest of his life means,” Daniel said as he sentenced him.
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