JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was shot early Sunday morning in the Biltmore area during what one witness says was an afterparty that got out of control.
The man who was shot is expected to survive, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and investigators are now looking for the shooter.
According to JSO, officers responded around 1 a.m. to Edgewood Avenue North, less than half a mile south of Old Kings Road, after reports of a shooting.
JSO said a man was taken to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg.
Investigators said the victim was shot in a parking lot by an unknown suspect, who then left the area.
A witness who asked to remain anonymous spoke to News4JAX and described what he said was an afterparty that erupted into chaos.
“They just had like a party or something, I guess, for like prom, like an afterparty. But out of nowhere, a lot of commotion was going on, and they started shooting,” the man said. “Kids was running everywhere. It was crazy.”
News4JAX saw multiple cars in the parking lot with what appeared to be bullet holes. There was also damage to the windows of nearby businesses in the shopping center near Rio Grande Avenue.
A video posted to social media purportedly showed the shooting, but News4JAX has been unable to verify when and where it was recorded.
Another witness, Jada Conyers, who said she lives nearby, described how far she said the crowd and cars stretched during the gathering.
“I live five streets that way. There were cars from here all the way to my house,” Conyers said.
Conyers said investigators remained at the scene for hours.
“The detective sat here until 1:30 this afternoon. But if you go online, you got videos, tons of videos of the shooting here, all over the place. They came to a graduation party,” Conyers said.
As graduation parties ramp up, Conyers said she hopes more safety measures are in place.
“There are more parties next weekend,” she said. “Better security might have saved somebody.”
Conyers said residents are growing tired of the gun violence, especially when it involves teens.
“When the funeral homes are making more money off of our youth, we have a problem,” Conyers said. “They have no problem making money off our youth dying. I’m tired of putting kids on my shirts.”
Anyone with information is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500, email JSOCRIMETIPS@Jaxsheriff.org, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.