A man was shot and killed early morning in Polk County, Florida, but he had it coming, say local law enforcement.
“This is a justifiable homicide all day long,” Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference Wednesday. The dead man Jason Boek started a confrontation on Dundee Road, and left an Uber driver with no choice but to open fire, he said.
“This is a classic stand your ground case,” Judd said.
According to him, a somewhat confusing series of events led to the shooting. A female patron and a bartender at a lounge had concerns about a drunk woman at a bar. A news release from the PCSO said this happened late Monday or early Tuesday morning. This second woman was in no condition to drive home, even though her vehicle was in the parking lot, Judd said. So the female patron and bartender called an Uber on her behalf.
The first woman helped this second one into the vehicle. Cue the misunderstanding: That first woman’s boyfriend, Jason Boek, believed that it was she who entered the Uber.
Boek began text his girlfriend threats, Judd said.
“You can tell they have a very rocky relationship here,” the sheriff said, and described the boyfriend as “explosive.” He construed Boek’s behavior as “stalking,” and said the man was angry with her. In the messages, Boek said he was going to, in Judd’s words, “f up” the Uber driver.
But, no, it was actually another woman in the vehicle. In fact, neither she, the girlfriend, nor the Uber driver knew one another, Judd said.
As described by the sheriff, the driver was bringing his passenger to her residence in Winterhaven, Florida, when he noticed an Ford F-250 pickup truck begin to tailgate him with bright lights on. The Ford’s driver, Boek, pulled up beside him, then passed, and forced him to a stop, Judd said.
As seen on dash cam video from the Uber, the man identified as Boek steps out of the truck, and walks out with an object apparently in his hand. Deputies say he claimed to have a pistol and threatened to shoot the Uber driver.
The Uber driver had a concealed weapons permit and just finished police academy. The driver pulled out a gun and shot Boek once in the chest, Judd said. He then called 911, asked for EMS and fire, and treated to save Boek’s life by containing the bleeding and performing CPR, the sheriff said.
By the way, the dead man didn’t even have a gun. Judd said Boek was holding out a cell phone when making the threat. A reporter asked during the press conference if any firearm was discovered in the truck. No, said Judd. The news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said a search warrant turned up a marijuana cigarette and a glass pipe featuring meth residue in the vehicle. The truck didn’t belong to Boek, either. His license was suspended in May, but he borrowed the vehicle from a friend, the PCSO said.
Boek was 34.
[Screengrab via Polk County Sheriff’s Office]
