The person accused of shooting and killing a man in a December 2025 road-rage incident in Jacksonville will not face criminal charges, according to the State Attorney’s Office (SAO).
63-year-old Daniel “Joe” Starkey, a well-known figure in the Jacksonville music community, was killed on Dec. 10 during a conflict with a 22-year-old driver at St. Johns Bluff Road South and Theresa Drive.
According to an SAO memorandum, the two did not know each other, but were angry about the other person’s driving. Investigators said Starkey pulled his car in front of the other driver’s car at a stoplight and got out to confront him. Despite warnings from the driver that he was armed, forensic evidence reportedly supported claims that Starkey went up to the open window and reached inside. Starkey was shot once in the chest.
The SAO said Starkey was intoxicated at the time, having a Blood Alcohol Concentration above the limit for driving, according to a toxicology report.
“Viewed from [the shooter’s] position at that moment, his belief that deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death, or great bodily harm was objectively reasonable,” the SAO report stated.
It was determined that the shooting was an act of lawful self-defense protected under Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.
With charges ruled out, an attorney for the family of Daniel “Joe” Starkey announced plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit.