Jax Beach police make another plea for public’s help after father of 4 killed in front of 2-year-old daughter

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The Jacksonville Beach Police Department on Friday made another plea for information from the public about the death of a 33-year-old father of four who was gunned down in front of his 2-year-old daughter Wednesday evening.

On Friday morning, Sgt. Tonya Tator, with the Police Department, gave an update on the investigation into the homicide in the Lake Sanctuary neighborhood, saying police had narrowed down the timeframe from which they’re seeking information to 7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Tator said police have also zoned in on a specific route.

“I am asking, if you were along this roadway of South Beach Parkway that leads to the on-ramp up to JTB (J. Turner Butler Boulevard) or from Jacksonville Drive coming down Sanctuary Boulevard turning onto JTB, please give us a call,” Tator said. “It does not matter if you saw something or you didn’t see anything, we’re asking if you were in the area to call us because we’re starting to put pieces together now, and even though you may think it’s nothing, you didn’t see anything, that helps us with our timeline of what occurred that evening.”

Tator said that officers also want to hear from anyone who saw a stranded vehicle with hazard lights on and that police are also looking for anybody who saw anything out of the ordinary.

“We’re also looking for anybody that was walking, running that looked out of place during that timeframe on this particular area or these roadways,” Tator said. “And, again, the vehicles that there was a vehicle that looked like it was in distress because of, you know, a flat tire, a hood up, you know, something going on with people, occupants in the car, that’s the type of information we’re looking for.”

At a news conference the day before, Tator had referenced a black SUV that was involved in the case. She said Friday that the SUV was actually the 33-year-old man’s. According to Tator, there was nothing wrong with the SUV.

Tator said Friday that it’s still unknown whether a damaged tire discovered at the scene is related to the investigation. According to Tator, handgun shell casings were also found at the scene.

“We have been on this case from the start. We’re not going to stop until it’s done,” Tator said. “But we do need help from everybody to help us put these pieces together and find out who did this.”

Meanwhile, investigators have been doing door-to-door canvassing, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection K-9s were conducting an article search on Friday to search for anything that may have been left behind at the scene.

Anyone with information or home security footage is asked to call the Police Department at 904-270-1661.

“These types of investigations, we depend upon tips because we can’t be everywhere all at once,” Tator stressed. “So people seeing hearing or even not seeing or hearing things during a timeframe helps us put it all together.”