Man sentenced to 30 years for shooting Daytona Beach police officer

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A man who shot a Daytona Beach police officer with an AK-47 nearly four years ago will spend 30 years in prison. Raymond Roberts Jr. pleaded no contest to several felony charges during a hearing on Friday. 

On the evening of November 25, 2018, Daytona Beach police officers responded to a call of a man waving an assault rifle near South St. and South Martin Luther King Blvd. Prosecutors said Roberts fired multiple rounds at three officers hitting one of them in his right arm.

"Our law enforcement officers willingly stand between us and those who would do us harm. When they are threatened and attacked by criminal elements in our communities – it is our duty to vigorously prosecute the offenders and seek lengthy prison sentences," State Attorney R.J. Larizza said of the case. "This practice protects our officers and creates a safer environment for our family, friends, and neighbors." 

Roberts was sentenced under the 10-20-Life mandatory minimum statute and will serve the full 30 years. The charges from the three different cases include three counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convict.