JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Shelmika Felton and Sherika Edwards lost their lives Thursday night, victims of a drive-by shooting in Northwest Jacksonville.
"My daughter has three kids. Three kids! The oldest is 16, 15 and 14. What are they going to do? They love their mother. I love my daughter. They took my daughter away from me like that, and it's just killing me. It's hurting me so bad," Angela Robinson, the mother of Fellton, said.
Police said that the two women and a 25-year-old man, whose name has not been released, were standing on Tyler Street near Windle Street when a dark-colored sedan rolled down the street and someone inside opened fire on the three of them.
Officials said that one woman died on the scene. Friends and neighbors say that was Edwards, a 25-year-old club promoter who went by the name Rek Beep Cho. Felton, 34, died on the way to the hospital. The man, who friends said was Edwards' cousin, drove himself to UF Health Jacksonville.
Police said the shooting was a gang-related retaliation. JSO Director Tom Hackney said Edwards and the man are documented members of the PYC gang. He said Felton was not a known gang member.
Hackney said marijuana was found in Edwards' sock during her autopsy, and that she was known to sell drugs on the street corner where she was killed.
Robinson, is demanding the shooter come forward. She said her daughter, who has three teenage children, would have no reason to be a target of gang violence.
Robinson said a cousin told her that Felton was walking by after getting coffee at the King Food Mart when someone called her over to a car. Once she approached the car, the shooting started.
Police told Robinson that her daughter was shot in the face and in the chest. After waiting in the hospital for a while, Robinson later found out that her daughter was dead.
"Somebody just killed my baby for no apparent reason," Robinson said. "Somebody killed her for no apparent reason. Why, why would you kill my daughter? My daughter did nothing to you. My daughter had three kids to live for."
Robinson tearfully remembered her daughter.
"She called me every time to tell me she loved me. 'Mom let's get together and cook some crabs and have a good time.' My daughter don't bother nobody. My daughter is a fun person; loved being around people. Whoever you are, if you don't turn yourself in, you is out of gas."
UNCUT: Angela Robinson's emotional interview about her daughter's death
A makeshift memorial was started Friday with teddy bears, flowers and balloons at the corner of Tyler and Windle. Across the street, a sign outside a home said, "Love God, We Pray for New Town Peace."
Minister Earl Mason lives in the area and said he knew Felton.
"It's really a sad case. It's unfortunate, and it's uncalled for. It needs to be stopped," Mason said. "They've been selling drugs around here for the whole 15 years I've been here. Maybe today, maybe now, they'll start doing something. This is the second shooting I know of that happened on this same corner. Perhaps they'll start clearing up or putting cameras up to get this stuff scared away. It's too much."
Robinson says there are surveillance cameras in the area, so she hopes those cameras will help police in their investigation.
"You're a man. You going to kill my daughter like she's a dog in the street. Be a man and face it. Face it," Robinson said. "Whoever the coward is, you're going to be caught. You're going to be caught, and I'm going to make sure of that."
Friends of Edwards said she had a big heart and everyone knew her, but they won't give interviews because they are "scared for their lives." They are asking for more police presence in New Town, and Hackney said they will get it.
Anyone who knows anything about the shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. You can remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward.