JACKSONVILLE, Fla, – Detectives are investigating a deadly shooting inside a room at the Red Roof Inn on Youngerman Circle late Saturday night.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said two men were arguing inside the room a little before 10:30 p.m. when one of them shot the other several times, killing him.
“This could have been very bad had the bullets or the shots being fired went through the walls and started going into the various rooms that have tenants,” said News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson.
Police are hoping surveillance cameras play a role in solving this case.
“This situation shows how crucial surveillance video is,” Jefferson said. “One, for the safety of the people that are there, and to help solve crimes.”
The man officers are now looking for left right after the shooting.
Police do not know how he got away, whether he drove off or ran.
JSO is also relying on potential witnesses who may be able to give them leads.
“[Police] may come across that one person who may have seen a vehicle, give a color make or model, maybe even a suspect description,” Jefferson said. “So [officers] have to be thorough and deliberate when [they’re] talking to every single one of them.”
This isn’t the only violence seen recently at a Youngerman Circle Hotel just north of the Clay-Duval County line. In April, officers were called to a domestic incident and fired on a suspect killing him.
That same month, a major drug dealing operation that JSO took down in what was known as “Operation Early Checkout.” At the time, JSO said of the activity was focused on Blanding Boulevard and Youngerman Circle.
This past week, numerous commuters complained of a spike in panhandling. One man, Mikey Charek, said he does it along with numerous other homeless people who live in the woods.
Charek said he and a friend built a tree house in the woods.
“I actually live right over here behind the Shell gas station,” he said.
If you have any information that could help JSO find the suspect, call JSO at 904-630-0500 or email them at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org.