JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The case of a man found dead in a Mandarin apartment, which has been classified as a murder, was part of a violent weekend in Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating at least two separate shootings and two deaths, including the death of the 23-year-old.
The 23-year-old man was found dead inside an apartment at The Waterford at Mandarin Apartment Homes on San Jose Boulevard, south of Interstate 295, early Sunday morning, about 30 minutes after they responded to the same complex in regard to reports of someone discharging a firearm. As of Monday, it was still unclear how the man died.
While outside the apartment complex on Monday, Denis Lambert told News4Jax that he was shocked to learn the man was found dead over the weekend in his neighborhood.
“I moved down here to get away from stuff like that from Cleveland, Ohio," said Lambert, who lives in the complex. "So to find out that’s in my neighborhood, right near my son, is very troubling.”
The death of the 23-year-old was one of several violent crimes from the weekend that the Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
On Friday, a woman was found dead inside her Southside apartment complex. A man is now charged with second-degree murder in the case.
Early Saturday morning, according to police, a man was taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds to his hand and leg.
More than 24 hours later, at least one person was shot near University and Beach boulevards.
According to a recent report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, crime was down statewide in the first half of the year, including in Duval County. But the report found that murders were up slightly in Duval County.
According to News4Jax records, there have been 151 homicides and 126 murders so far this year. That’s up from this time last year. News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson weighed in on the city’s violence.
“You can’t become complacent,” Jefferson said. “We’ve gone far too long and we’ve had this conversation far too many times. We’ve been labeled the murder capital of Florida. At what point will we get it, at what point will we realize that’s a black eye on our city?"
As for the case here at the Mandarin apartment complex, no arrests had been announced as of Monday afternoon.