Another Ponte Vedra Beach shooting at the hands of a deputy sheriff — this time over a domestic dispute

St Johns County sheriff’s patrol shift leader, Napolian Junior Staggers, was arrested after a domestic disturbance escalated to gunfire at a home in Ponte Vedra Beach this morning at about 1:17 a.m. according to a report received by Historic City News.

During a bond hearing earlier this morning, Staggers was allowed bail in the amount of $25,000 after being charged with aggravated battery, a second-degree felony.  Staggers was ordered to surrender his gun to the sheriff’s office.  Additionally, as a condition of his release, he will be required to wear a GPS ankle bracelet that will track his movements.  As of 10:30 a.m. today, records show that Staggers remains in custody at the St Johns County Detention Facility.

Staggers, who will turn 49-years-old in August, has been a deputy sheriff since December 20, 2010.  He was promoted from law enforcement deputy to shift leader in 2018 and received a substantial pay raise in the transaction.  According to this year’s budget figures, Staggers is paid $64,296, plus benefits, for his added responsibilities.

The relationship between the two was “domestic”, sheriff’s spokesmodel Chuck Mulligan reported.  He would not tell local reporters exactly how Staggers is connected to the shooting victim, or the victim’s age, race, or sex.  Mulligan did confirm that Staggers was “off-duty” at the time and that Staggers has had no previous disciplinary issues during his 10-year SJSO career.

The arrest report in this case indicates that Staggers shares the residence with the victim.  An argument regarding Staggers’ whereabouts escalated from shouting to Staggers striking the victim “two to three times”.  The report goes on to say that the victim broke away from Staggers and attempted to call a family member.  Staggers drew his weapon and fired, striking the victim in the feet.  Now seriously injured and afraid, the victim was able to run to a neighbor and called 911, the report stated.

Mulligan said that when the deputy shot the victim, they suffered what were described as “non-life-threatening injuries”, even though the victim made a trip to the hospital.  According to Mulligan, the victim has been released from the hospital and will be “okay”.

According to two televised reports in Jacksonville, alcohol is believed to be a factor in this incident but results of an official blood alcohol test are yet to be received.