JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – A man died after a shooting Thursday evening at a home in a typically quiet Jacksonville Beach neighborhood, authorities said.
Officers said they were called just before 11:10 p.m. to a report of a person shot at a residence on Ocean Pond Court where the occupants of the short-term rental were holding a party.
When police arrived, they said, they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died, police said.
News4JAX on Friday spoke with a witness, who said that the home where the shooting happened is an Airbnb and that 11 people were at a birthday party for the victim when the gunfire rang out.
She recounted that a fight broke out and that she heard gunshots and fell to the floor in fear. She said she would’ve never expected this to happen at a birthday party.
The witness said the victim was turning 32 years old and was a retired military veteran. The witness couldn’t confirm his name.
Neighbors said they heard up to 10 gunshots.
“I was in bed and then I heard like four of five gunshots,” said one neighbor named David Cooper. “My mother and father lived here since 1990 and never nothing like that in this neighborhood right here.”
Police said another man and a woman were seen leaving the residence in a white four-door compact sedan.
As detectives continue to investigate, anyone with information is urged to called the Police Department.