West Palm Beach police: Officer shoots, kills 'armed' person at Paradise Cove condo complex

WEST PALM BEACH — A West Palm Beach police officer shot and killed a person during an encounter Monday at a condominium complex off Village Boulevard, a department spokesperson said.

The shooting happened shortly after 3 p.m. after officers responded to a report of a break-in by a person "armed with a gun" at the Paradise Cove condominiums near the Village Commons Shopping Center, spokesperson Mike Jachles said in a news release.

According to the statement, an officer "was forced to fire" at the person "during the response." The statement said officers then began CPR and other lifesaving efforts immediately after the person was struck and continued until West Palm Beach Fire Rescue medics arrived at the scene, the 1200 block of The Pointe Drive.

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The medics pronounced the person dead. Multiple television news reports identified the person as John McKinzie, Jr., 27, with reporters citing interviews with a family member. Police did not confirm the person's name Tuesday and attempts to reach McKinzie's family were unsuccessful.

A woman who identified herself as McKinzie's girlfriend told local television outlets that he was experiencing a medical episode Monday while trying to enter an apartment he shared with her. Several messages of condolence about McKinzie's death were posted to social media.

Three officers were placed on administrative leave per department protocol following events such as shootings, Jachles said Tuesday. The department did not disclose the officers' names, saying they each invoked their right to privacy under a 2018 state constitutional amendment modeled after California's Marsy's Law.

The amendment allows crime victims to request that their names be withheld from public reports. Multiple police agencies have used the amendment to shield the identities of officers involved in deadly use-of-force incidents.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will lead the investigation in the shooting, and the West Palm Beach Police Department and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office will also review the matter, Jachles said.

It is at least the third shooting involving a Palm Beach County law-enforcement agency this year, and the first fatal incident.

A Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy shot and wounded Denley Junior Alexis, 20, during an encounter at a Boynton Beach-area shopping plaza on May 1.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw reported that Alexis was armed with two knives and was shot when he attempted to charge at deputies. Alexis was arrested on charges of aggravated assault against a law-enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.

The West Palm Beach Police Department was involved in two fatal shootings in 2022, including the death of 33-year-old Romen Phelps last May at Dreyfoos School of the Arts. State Attorney Dave Aronberg recently decided that the off-duty officer who shot Phelps used justified force and will not face criminal charges.

West Palm Beach police were also involved the fatal shooting of a man last November near 15th Street and Windsor Avenue. The department did not disclose the name of the man who died.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work:Subscribe today.