DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A Daytona Beach man was sentenced to 30 years in Florida state prison Friday for shooting a police officer with an AK-47 in 2018, according to the Seventh Judicial Circuit state attorney’s office.
Raymond Roberts pleaded no contest to several felony charges in connection with the shooting of Daytona Beach police officer Kevin Hird, according to circuit officials covering Volusia and Flagler counties.
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“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 in a statement. “This practice protects our officers and creates a safer environment for our family, friends and neighbors.”
The sentencing comes nearly four years after police said they responded to calls of a man waving around an assault rifle near South Street and South Martin Luther King Boulevard the night of Nov. 25, 2018.
According to investigators, Roberts, who was 40 years old at the time, fired multiple rounds at three officers, shooting Hird in his right arm. Police also added Roberts had previously threatened a Daytona Beach officer with firearms earlier that year.
News 6 has followed Hird, who endured two surgeries due to the shooting, on his journey to recovery over the years.
“The sound of the round, you’re not going to forget that. The crack of the round going past you. Yeah, you won’t forget that,” Hird told News 6 back in 2018.
Roberts was charged with attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This comes after Roberts previously entered a not guilty plea in December 2018.
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