JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A police shooting Sunday night and another shooting Monday morning were the latest in a string of incidents in the Arlington area involving gun violence.
News4JAX records show four men were killed in Arlington in March, including a double shooting on Fort Caroline Road that led to the arrest of a 16-year-old on gun and car theft charges.
Another man was shot to death in the parking lot of a business on Arlington Road North two weeks later, and then on March 28 a man was found dead on Caliente Drive.
Before March, no homicides had been reported in the Arlington area, according to News4JAX records.
On April 22, Sheriff T.K. Waters held a walk in the Arlington area offering a chance for members of the community to speak with him and his staff about crime in the area.
The walk took place at the Les Chateaux Condos on Arlington Expressway and the Catalina Apartments on Bert Road.
Just over a week later, an argument between two men led to a shooting Monday at the same Bert Road complex.
That shooting came a day after police shot a man on Fort Caroline Road who they said fired a shot at them from inside a home.
“They just get too carried away and start fighting each other out here. It’s crazy,” one resident told News4JAX.
News4JAX asked District 1 City Council-Elect Ken Amaro to meet us in the area.
“As a country, just seems like there’s this temperament. Everyone’s angry. Everyone’s impatient. And everyone’s swift to react by using a gun and I don’t know why,” Amaro said.
Amaro said he wants more information on both incidents but is overall tired of all the shootings.
“What I can say is this to those who are in the community that before you pull your gun, how about talking? Before you make a bad decision, how about thinking it out? And I think that the moment you take the step back, and inhale, exhale, it can change circumstances,” Amaro said.
Amaro also thinks JSO could intervene more.
Amaro said walks like those by Waters are effective but he wants to see them done more frequently and with a different approach.
“You actually go into the neighborhoods, the hotspots, if you will, and let them know that we the police are watching. And we the police are warning you that if you don’t turn this around, the next time you see us you will be in the back of a squad car,” Amaro said.
When Amaro takes office in July he plans to schedule a meeting with JSO and the district commander to bring on more crime prevention walks and other ideas for community engagement.
Joyce Morgan is the current councilmember for the district and sent News4JAX this statement:
“The city of Jacksonville must continue to seek innovative opportunities to prevent crime in a holistic approach that provides funding for prevention, intervention and enforcement. And by the way, some of the best prevention comes with economic opportunity, adequate housing education, and other quality-of-life factors.
The Sheriff is Jacksonville’s top crime fighter. I believe he is aware that in order to be effective and really reduce crime, the sheriff also needs help from the community. That’s why I believe incorporating community policing is so important.
Incoming Councilmember Ken Amaro will have opportunities to build and foster relationships and partnerships that encourage the community to actively participate in curbing crime.”