JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police have not said who died after three people were shot late Thursday afternoon in Springfield -- and under the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s strict interpretation of Marsy’s Law we may never know the victim’s name -- but his death will be remembered as the city’s 100th homicide of 2019.
The sad reality is Jacksonville has seen more than 100 homicides for eight straight years, but if we continue to see a killing just about every other day for the rest of this year, Jacksonville could exceed its homicide totals of 140 in 2006 and 152 in 2007.
In both of those bloody years, Jacksonville recorded its 100th homicide in late August.
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After both Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams were elected to second terms despite a rising homicide rate, they pointed to more police officers on the street, investments in anti-crime technology, more funding to youth diversion programs and recruiting the Cure Violence program to town.
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They remain frustrated the efforts have yet to make a difference.
"When you have a terrible evening or a terrible day, you've got to stay the course," Curry told News4Jax last week. "You've got to stay the course because we put the things in place that will protect the people of Jacksonville."
Williams' recent comments were also about consistency, deterrence initiatives and staying engaged.
"We're always making adjustments, making sure we're putting the right number of policemen in the right place at the right time," Williams said in late June. "So the first part of the year was incredibly busy for us, and we've had a lull, which is good, and now there are a couple of spikes that have occurred. We've got to make another adjustment."
* denotes number through Aug. 8, 2019