JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Between 4:40 and 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called to four separate shootings in four different parts of town. Of seven people shot, two of the victims died.
The first deadly gunfire followed was at a gas station on Harts Road on Jacksonville’s Northside. The Sheriff’s Office said a 35-year-old man was murdered after a fighter in the parking lot and investigators were looking for the driver of a white SUV.
About four hours later a 33-year-old man was found shot to death in a ditch on Higginbotham Street in Baldwin. According to Sgt. Adam Blinn, the victim was shot once and died at the scene. There was no description of the shooter. The JSO is calling it a murder.
At about the same time, police were called to a shooting in Arlington after a man with a single gunshot wound was found lying on the side of Caliente Drive, north of Arlington Expressway. JSO said the injury was minor and the victim was treated and released at the scene. One witness was interviewed but police did not have any suspect information in that case. (EDITOR’S NOTE: News4Jax previously reported that this incident was a homicide, but we learned from JSO Thursday morning the man survived.)
Just after 9:45 p.m., police were called to the Volaris West Kernan apartment complex off Beach Boulevard where four people were taken to the hospital after a shooting inside an apartment. Police didn’t say what led up to the shooting but said they will know more once they can speak to the victims.
Two men had life-threatening injuries and two women also injured were expected to recover.
News4Jax is working to get additional details on all the shootings. Anyone with information in any of these incidents is asked to contact JSO at 904-630-0500, email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org or call CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS.
According to News4Jax records, the three homicides Wednesday night brings the total in Jacksonville so far this year to 138. There were 160 in all of 2020, which was the highest number the JSO had seen in two decades.
“It goes to show you, no matter where you live, what side of town you’re on, if you’re in Duval County, you’re not immune to things like this,” News4Jax crime and safety analyst Ken Jefferson said.