JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After the third fatal shooting in less than six months on or near Fleming Street -- a neighborhood that borders Lackawanna and Mixon Town -- neighbors are fed up. Some are moving out.
Derrick Hill, 37, was found dead in the street just before 10 p.m. Saturday. It happened as several people were partying in the street on Fleming Street, near the intersection of Edison Avenue and King Street.
While dozens of shell casings were found near Hill's body and many people were around at the time, Jacksonville police said they had no description of the shooter.
On May 28, a man was found shot to death behind a home on King Street. On Aug. 18, there was a double shooting at King and Fleming streets that left one man dead.
People in the area said the continued violence in the neighborhood is driving people out.
"I don’t know where all it’s coming from. I don’t know who’s causing the problem," said Woodrow Kroll, who is going to be moving out.
Jasmine Mohamed said she'll also be moving her family out.
"It’s horrible. Actually, we are on the way out. Because there were two other shootings on the street after we moved in. We’re scared," Mohamed said.
James Brown, a former Jacksonville police officer, said the department has been fighting crime in this neighborhood for years, and much of it can be traced to drugs.
"Let me put it this way. You can seriously get hurt over here. Because a lot of, I’ll call them thugs, a lot of felons over here," Brown said.
Brown said a big issue is that a lot of people in the community don’t call the police when the see something suspicious.
The city is aware of the crime problem. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said it is increasing patrols in the area, and district Councilman Garrett Dennis said he's pushing for many of the JSO's new hires to work in that zone.
Asked for comment about the shootings and enforcement in Lakawanna and Mixon Town, Public Affairs Officer Melissa Bujeda responded:
We have been conducting deployments and increasing police presence in the area. Patrol officers have been working with detectives trying to solicit information from citizens to help us with any information to assist with these homicide investigations."
Dennis said rundown homes in neighborhoods contribute to the crime. He has a list of 51 condemned or vacant homes in the area that he is working with the city to either get rehabilitated or torn down.
"Last week, we just approved $142,000 for a nonprofit, NEFCA (Northeast Florida Community Action Agency Inc.), to go in and rehab some owner-occupied homes in that area," Dennis said.
Anyone who knows anything about Saturday night's homicide on Fleming Street is asked to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 866-845-TIPS.