JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Roughly 45,000 vehicles travel across the Hart Bridge each day. On Friday night, it’s where Anthony Kelly was shot while riding in a car.
“It was just a normal day for me. I went to work that morning. I got off work. I went to my friend’s house. I went to my friend’s cousin’s house and spent some time over there. “I heard bullets going off and I didn’t realize I was hit until after the fact,” Kelly recounted. “There was a lot going through my mind. I was trying to figure out how I was going to make it home that night.”
Kelly said he was in the passenger seat, looking down at his phone, when he heard gunshots. According to a police report, there were multiple bullet holes in the side of the car that Kelly’s friend was driving. The report shows his friend immediately drove him to Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, where Kelly was treated for his injuries.
“I have two pistol bullets that went through, and the rest were shrapnel. I have one that was in my forearm,” Kelly told News4JAX.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office initially said in a briefing that it believed the shooting may have been a targeted event. The police report does not mention anything about a targeted shooting. Kelly said he has no idea who would shoot him and his friend.
“That’s a scary feeling,” Kelly said. “It’s just scary to be living in Jacksonville and that can happen.”
Kelly’s friend told police they believed the driver was in a silver sedan, according to the police report. Kelly said he hopes someone will be held accountable.
News4JAX reached out to JSO to find out if this shooting was in fact targeted or if it was a case of mistaken identity. A JSO public information sent us a statement that says: “This continues to be an active investigation. There is no new information other than what was provided the night of the incident.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).