JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was found dead inside a Westside apartment Saturday night when police responded to a report of a home invasion robbery, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
Three people were inside the home about 7:15 p.m. when a man forcefully entered a unit at the Magnolia Terrace Apartment on Hyde Park Road, according to Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Adam Blinn. An altercation ensued and the man was killed, Blinn said. It is not clear at this time how the man died.
Blinn said police believe that two other men ran off after the home invasion. The Sheriff’s Office did not have a description of those men as of late Saturday evening.
The Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit is investigating. Detectives were waiting on a search warrant to enter the apartment to learn more.
Several witnesses were being cooperative, investigators said.
“There were a lot of police officers,” said a woman who lives at the complex. “They were out in everybody’s window. All you saw were flashlights.”
The woman, who did not want to be identified out of fear for her family’s safety, said she has only lived at the complex for a few months but already wants to move out.
“I don’t want to stay here anymore," she said. "That’s too much drama for me and my family. I have two little ones, and that’s stressful on me.”
Another woman told News4Jax that the home invasion happened right below her apartment and that she heard banging and some sort of fight.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office by calling 904-630-0500 or emailing JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).