JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man has been charged with manslaughter nearly two years after investigators say repeated negligence involving multiple dogs led to a deadly attack in the city’s Westside.
Investigators say 62-year-old Melvyn Souffrount’s “multiple and repeated negligent actions” contributed to the death of 59-year-old Ronald Coffman, a veteran who was fatally mauled in August 2024, according to a press release from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 31, 2024, officers responded to Ricker Road after receiving a report of a dog attack. When they arrived, they found Coffman suffering from severe bite injuries. He later died from those injuries.
The arrest comes nearly two years after neighbors told local media the dogs involved had allegedly escaped the property multiple times before the fatal attack.
In September 2024, News4JAX reported that several residents along Ricker Road said the dogs had previously chased bicyclists, attacked animals and bitten at least one person before Coffman’s death. Multiple dogs were later seized from a nearby property as part of the investigation.
A warrant charging Souffrount with manslaughter was issued May 18. Jail records show he was booked into the Duval County jail, where he remains in custody on a $500,000 bond.
JSO has not released additional information about the dogs involved in the attack.
