Man found guilty of attempted first-degree murder for shooting Sanibel police officer

Writer: Carolina Guzman
Published: Updated:
Jon Webster Hay Credit: The State Attorney’s Office

The man who shot a Sanibel police officer while he conducted a traffic stop has been found guilty on multiple charges.

Jon Webster Hay has been convicted of three counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer and shooting at or into an occupied vehicle.

According to the state attorney’s office, on Nov. 20, 2016, just before 8 p.m., a Sanibel police officer was sitting in his marked patrol car along Periwinkle Way.

He was filling out a report on a traffic stop when he was shot in the shoulder by someone in a passing car.

Other Sanibel police officers quickly arrived and gathered enough information to identify the shooter as Hay.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office also responded. They located Hay’s vehicle and attempted to stop it, but he continued to flee, driving to his home on Sandcastle Way.

As law enforcement approached, Hay, armed with an AR-15 rifle, fired more than two dozen rounds at them.

The bullets did not strike officers, but the patrol cars were hit. The officers returned fire. Hay was grazed by a bullet and taken into custody.

When searched, a loaded semi-automatic gun was found in a fanny pack he was wearing. He also had extra ammunition-filled magazines for the gun.

The officer who was shot was treated at a hospital for his injuries and survived the shooting.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 13.

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