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Homicides spike in bloody June in Jacksonville

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – From the Northside to the Westside to the Southside, it seemed no part of Jacksonville was untouched by violent crime in June.

The number of homicides spiked to 18, the most the city has seen since July 2016. Nearly half of those were reported on the typically quiet Southside of town.

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Among those killed in June were two transgender women, three young men gunned down near the St. Johns Town Center, and two women stabbed to death in apparent acts of domestic violence.

PREVIOUS HOMICIDE LISTS: January | February | March | April, May

Despite the marked increase in the number of homicides, Jacksonville is still trending behind the number of homicides the city saw last year. Through the first six months of this year, Jacksonville has seen 60 homicides, compared to 68 at the same time last year. According to JSO, arrests have been made in 13 of those cases and another six were ruled justifiable or excusable.

News4Jax records showed 141 total homicides in 2017 in Jacksonville. In 2016, we counted 120 homicides. 

COMMUNITY TALKS: City Councilmen host meeting on ending gun violence in Jacksonville

Below, we have included a map, showing where this year's June homicides were reported (3-month-old Ke'sean Deas is not listed on the map because his June death was ruled a homicide months later).

We have also listed the names and ages of the June homicide victims and the information surrounding their deaths. We have included a photo of each victim, when available. Previous mugshots were used only when no other photo was available.

Many of the cases remain unsolved. If you have information about any of these crimes, call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.


Antasha EnglishFriday, June 1

Antash'a English, 38

English, a transgender woman initially identified by police as Antonia English, was found shot between two abandoned houses on Ella Street in Northwest Jacksonville. She died at a hospital. Police did not have any suspect information. English was the second of four transgender women to be attacked in Jacksonville this year. Police have said the cases are not connected.


Danica OdomsSaturday, June 2

Danica Odoms, 38

Police said Odoms was found shot multiple times in Northwest Jacksonville and died at a hospital. Less than a week later, 21-year-old Javarius Jackson was charged with second-degree murder in her killing. Odoms' mother said during an outburst in court that her daughter was killed over a $20 debt. Police confirmed Odoms and Jackson had argued over money before the fatal shooting.


No description found

Saturday, June 2

Khalil Boatright, 22

Boatright was found with multiple gunshot wounds in front of his home on Stuart Street in Northwest Jacksonville. Police did not have any description of a possible shooter.


Brielle BaldwinTuesday, June 5

Brielle Baldwin, 34

Baldwin was shot in a vacant lot on King Street, just north of Interstate 10 in the Mixon Town neighborhood of the city's Westside. He died at UF Health. Witnesses said they heard as many as 30 gunshots and that bullets struck a nearby home. Police have not released a description of a possible shooter.


Tuesday, June 5

Jercoby Groover, 19; Trevon Bullard, 18; Royale Smith Jr., 18

According to police, Bullard, Smith and Groover were fatally wounded when an unidentified gunman opened fire on them as they drove on Town Center Parkway on the city's Southside.

No description found

The shooting, which left their car riddled with bullet holes, also wounded Bullard's older brother. Police said at least two of the shooting victims had ties to a known gang and that it was "not a random act of violence." An $8,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.


Thursday, June 7

Ke'Sean Deas, 3 months

Ke'Sean died of blunt force trauma to the head, possibly from being shaken, Jacksonville police said. His father, Charles Deas III, 25, has been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated manslaughter in the baby's death. Police said Deas initially told investigators his son fell off a bed when he was left alone in a room.


Darryl JohnsonMonday, June 11

Darryl Johnson, 14

Police said Johnson was shot in the woods on Rutledge Pearson Drive not far from the Washington Heights Apartments in Northwest Jacksonville. A man who heard the shot found Johnson outside his home 30 minutes later and called 911. Johnson died at the hospital. Police did not have any information about the shooter.


Arturo HernandezWednesday, June 13

Arturo Hernandez, 58

Hernandez was found dead inside his unit at the Boat House Apartments on Century 21 Drive on Jacksonville's Southside, police said. He had been shot. Police did not have a description of his killer.

 


Julie StewartFriday, June 15

Julie Stewart, 42

Stewart's body was found stuffed in the trunk of a car in the driveway of her home after police responded to a 911 call from her husband and found him backing the car out of the garage, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Gerard Stewart, 45, was taken into custody after a SWAT standoff and has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence. Police said he confessed to fatally stabbing Julie Stewart. News4Jax learned she had filed for divorce. The couple had a young son.


Raymond Jones Jr.Saturday, June 16

Raymond Jones Jr., 19

Police said Jones was killed in a shooting at the Majestic Plaza Apartments in the Moncrief neighborhood of Northwest Jacksonville. Police later said 16-year-old Gregory Drayton had been charged with manslaughter. He told them the shooting was accidental.


Tyreze LittlejohnSunday, June 17

Tyreze Littlejohn, 29

Littlejohn was shot multiple times while driving in a silver pickup truck and crashed into a fence in a neighborhood in the city's Northside, according to the Sheriff's Office. Police said they did not have any suspect information.

 


Charles HortonMonday, June 18

Charles Horton, 19

Horton was riding in a car on Southside Boulevard when someone fired several shots into it, killing him and wounding the driver, police said. The car crashed into the front yard of a home along the service road. No description of a shooter was released. Police said it's unclear if the shots came from another vehicle or somewhere along the road.


Amad ClarkMonday, June 18

Amad Clark, 29

Police said Clark was found shot inside a room at the InTown Suites on St. Johns Bluff Road on the Southside of Jacksonville. Police said foul play is suspected. The shooting was classified as domestic but was listed as "pending classification" in the JSO database.


Voncile HeathTuesday, June 19

Voncile Heath, 56

Police said Heath was found lying in a pool of blood in her Westside home. She had been stabbed to death, according to neighbors. Heath's son, Marcus Heath, 26, has been charged with murder in her death. Police said he was spotted driving her stolen car on I-95 in Maryland hours after her body was found. He was tracked down and arrested in Delaware.


Ramona SolomonSunday, June 24

Ramona Solomon, 24

Solomon, who was four months' pregnant, was shot on a basketball court at Julius Guinyard Park on Jefferson Street in Springfield and ran to a nearby apartment complex for help, police said. She died at a hospital. Police said no description of a shooter was available.


Cathalina JamesSunday, June 24

Cathalina James, 24

James, a transgender woman police initially identified as Donald James, was found shot to death at the Quality Inn on Dix Ellis Trail in the Baymeadows area of the Southside. Police released surveillance footage of a car used in the crime. Her death was the third murder of a transgender woman this year, sparking cries of outrage from the LGBTQ community.


About the Authors
Francine Frazier headshot

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.

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