SANIBEL, Fla. — A man has been found guilty on three counts attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer following a shooting incident involving a Sanibel police officer.
Jon Webster Hay has been convicted on three counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude, and shooting into an occupied vehicle, following a dramatic incident in Sanibel.
On November 20, 2016, at approximately 8 p.m., a Sanibel Police Officer was in his marked patrol car on Periwinkle Way, completing a report on a traffic stop when he was shot in the shoulder by Hay - who was in a passing vehicle.
After the shooting, Sanibel Police Officers quickly identified Hay as the suspect. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office attempted to pull over his vehicle, but Hay fled to his home on Sandcastle Way.
Police say when law enforcement approached, Hay, armed with an AR-15 rifle, fired more than two dozen rounds at the officers, narrowly missing them but striking their patrol cars. Officers returned fire, grazing Hay with a bullet, and he was subsequently taken into custody.
A loaded semi-automatic handgun and additional ammunition magazines were found in a fanny pack he was wearing at the time of his arrest. The injured officer was treated at a local hospital and has since recovered.
Sentencing for Hay is scheduled for January 13, 2025.
