JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Twenty teenagers have been shot so far this year in Jacksonville, according to News4Jax records.
On Thursday, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office listed Tuesday’s deadly shooting of a 16-year-old boy at Woodstock Park on West Beaver Street as a murder.
“I hate to see things like this,” said David Cail, who’s lived on the Westside for 30 years.
He said it hurts learning a teen was killed steps from his home.
“It’s a shame that our youth are becoming killed every day and youth-on-youth crime,” Cail said.
Police said they believe Tuesday’s shooting stemmed from some type of fight.
At 43 parks in the city, including Woodstock Park, JSO has an officer living there to secure it. The city said the JSO officer provides “a presence in the park and monitors activities.” News4Jax asked JSO where the officer was during Tuesday’s shooting at Woodstock Park but had not heard back as of Thursday afternoon.
This year, in the 32254 ZIP code, which includes Woodstock Park, there have been eight murders, including Tuesday’s.
“Someone lost their son. Someone lost a family member, a loved one. So that’s what we have to focus on, not just a number of all the homicides in this area,” said Jacksonville City Councilman Garrett Dennis. “But let me say this, we know where the problems are. It is time for the city, the Sheriff’s Office along with the city, to deploy resources in the area where we’re having high crime.”
With children out of school for the summer, Dennis encourages them to be patient, find positive activities and speak up when they see something wrong.
Anyone with information about Tuesday’s deadly shooting is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).