JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy was shot in the neck Saturday while riding his bike in the city's Woodstock neighborhood, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
The boy was shot at 2:27 p.m., and then rode his bike to a friend's house on Beaverbrook Place, where police were called, officers said.
"He said he didn't feel the shot, but I looked in the back of his head and he had a bullet shot," said the teen's 10-year-old friend, who called police.
"When I was coming from getting my mother-in-law some food, I got here, and my son told me that the boy ran in the house and he collapsed in the front room," said the friend's father, Earnest Williams.
Williams said he wasn't home when the 15-year-old showed up to his door, rather, his son answered.
"Whoever shot him shouldn't have ever shot him," the 10-year-old said. "He wasn't messing with nobody. He was just riding the bike. He was coming over here for my brother. That's when he got shot."
Two days ago, an 11-year-old and 13-year-old were shot in Mixon Town. Williams said the shootings in Jacksonville are outrageous, and he worries daily for his young children.
"I'm worried about all of these brothers around here. All of these children," Williams said. "They need to come together and play basketball or something. Do something and stop shooting at each other. They're not even giving themselves a chance to live."
The Sheriff's Office said they do not have any suspects, and they are trying to pinpoint where the shooting occurred.
Sheriff's Office Lt. Derrick Boucher said that although the boy was shot in the neck, his injuries are not serious and he is expected to be released from UF Health Jacksonville Saturday night.
News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said with the children being shot days apart, the best thing people can do to help police track down the shooters is to always call police if they see or hear anything suspicious.
“We see that in certain cities where they (residents) have a very close relationship with the community and the Sheriff’s Office, that this type of crime decreases," Smith said. "(When) they feel comfortable talking to police, this type of crime does stop.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.