JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was found shot to death Monday near the Gateway Town Center, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The city of Jacksonville has reached what’s become a grim milestone, recording its 100th murder case of the year, and Monday’s case could be No. 101. According to News4JAX records, the 100 murders are among 129 total homicides we’ve recorded. Last year at this same time, the city had reached 90 murders out of 108 homicides.
Sgt. Steve Rudlaff, with the JSO Homicide United, said a police officer was flagged down just after 10 a.m. Monday by a concerned person at the Zone 1 Substation on Norwood Avenue. The person said there was an unresponsive man lying on a sidewalk around the corner, and the officer responded to the area and found a man in his 30s who had been shot at least once. The man died at the scene, police said.
Officers said the man did not have an ID or anything that would confirm his identity, so the medical examiner may have to get fingerprints from the body.
Investigators said that there were not any shell casings found by the body and that it’s uncertain where the shooting actually happened.
“We’re trying to identify exactly where the shooting took place. At this point, we do have an individual shot and killed, so the whole area is considered a crime scene. That’s why the scene is so large right now because we’re trying to narrow it down to exactly where this occurred,” Rudlaff said at a news briefing early Monday afternoon.
Jacksonville City Council candidate Reggie Gaffney Jr. works nearby and said the shooting represents a troubling trend of violence, which he says the city as a whole must correct.
“Intervention, prevention. We have to work together. Pastors, JSO, city officials, moms, dads and city activists, we got to work together,” Gaffney said. “This could have been your family member, this is somebody’s uncle, this is somebody’s friend, this is somebody’s brother, this is somebody’s, you know, grandfather. You know, nobody deserves to get killed.”
Michael Woomer commutes through the area every day and wasn’t exactly shocked at the news of a deadly shooting.
“Honestly, I’m not really surprised,” he said. “More people need to step up, and if they have something, let them see it, you know, I mean, how else can we do anything about the crime if nobody wants to step up?”
The Sheriff’s Office is canvassing the area, looking for any witnesses or surveillance video. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office by calling 904-630-0500 or emailing JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous, call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).