JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The clock is ticking.
Someone is responsible for a drive-by shooting that killed 13-year-old Prince Holland. Criminal attorney Lee Lockett said every day that passes without information, the community grows sadder and sometimes -- quieter.
“These crimes have to be solved within the first several hours, or the first day or so,” Lockett said.
The 21-year-old driver was critically injured, shot 10 times while trying to shield the four children in his SUV from gunfire, according to his attorney, John Phillips.
News4JAX reached out to Phillips, who said he doesn’t want to talk until his client is out of surgery.
We aren’t naming the driver because no one has been arrested in the shooting. Phillips said his client told police he doesn’t know who shot at the SUV.
Lockett weighed in on why the driver might have gotten an attorney.
“Perhaps out of convenience, or just in an abundance of caution. That might be one reason,” Lockett said. “Another reason might be that there might be a feeling that, you know, he is the driver, he’s the only adult in the car. So, anything that happens to children that he might be responsible for.”
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Detectives will ask the other children in the SUV what they saw. Investigators with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will likely revisit the scene, collecting physical evidence and surveillance.
They can also put shell casings through a database to see if the gun was used in other crimes.
“They’re going to need work with prosecutors to come up with enough evidence to charge the shooter,” Lockett said. “And if they don’t have enough evidence, they might not be able to make an arrest.”
Someone knows something. We can only hope for Holland, and the community’s sake, that they speak up.
If you have any information, call JSO at 904-630-0500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS. You can remain anonymous – and there is also a $9,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.