JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 21-year-old died and another person suffered life-threatening injuries after a shooting early Sunday morning near the intersection of Philips Highway and University Boulevard, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
Witnesses told police they saw people in two cars shoot at each other and then drive away in different directions just before 3 a.m. A short time later, police found Corey Spann dead in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Walmart on Philips Highway near Emerson Street.
Police said Spann died from a gunshot wound.
The other vehicle ended up at a Shell gas station on Atlantic Boulevard, where someone called 911. That victim was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police have not named the second victim.
Spann's family said he was the father of a 3-year-old girl who had attended a concert the night before he was killed. They said he had no enemies and they are still trying to grasp what happened.
"Losing my child is hard. You know, I would never think that I would have to bury my child. Not Corey," said Tracy Walker, Spann's mother. "At the end of the day, he was a good child and he don't deserve to got shot the way he got shot up."
Spann's aunt said he was the member of the family who held it together for everyone.
"Whenever it's confusion, he's the one that everybody knows, OK, Corey's going to make peace," Meltonia Wright said.
As the family begins to make funeral arrangements, Walker said knowing who killed her son would help her move forward.
"If anyone knows, it would help me out a whole lot with closure," Walker said. "All I want is answers."
Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.