JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 9-year-old girl was shot in the throat Thursday night when the home she was in on West 19th Street was hit by gunfire, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
There were seven people inside the home near Myrtle Avenue and MLK when shots were fired from outside shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, police said.
RELATED: 9-year-old girl shot in throat when Northwest Jacksonville home targeted by gunfire: JSO
When News4JAX went to the neighborhood on Friday, people told us that they are sad a girl was hit by a bullet, but that they are not surprised. They hear gunshots all the time.
According to JSO’s crime mapping tool, from late January 2023 until now -- there were 41 reported crimes in a quarter mile radius of this shooting.
The most reported crime was assault.
This shooting comes just days after Sheriff T.K. Waters Town Hall where he addressed crime, more community policing and tools to help make the city safer.
When News4JAX asked a person who lives on the street where this happened, if they think the new vision for the sheriff’s office will help---they responded, “Really, there isn’t one. At this point there isn’t one. This is the area it’s always going to be like this.”
JSO believes two or three people fired into the home and that the people involved knew each other.
The girl was the only person hit by the gunfire. She was in critical but stable condition at last check.
At least three bullet holes could be seen in the home’s front door. Two of them are near the same level as the doorknob and the other is through the right side of the door.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether it was a drive-by shooting or if the shooters walked up to the home. The JSO gang unit is investigating.
News4JAX reached out to Lakesha Burton, the Director of Community Initiatives for the Mayor’s office. She deals with prevention and intervention programs — she sent a statement, saying, in part: “It’s infuriating and heartbreaking that this child was shot while inside of what is supposed to be a safe place...we as a city should be outraged that a nine-year-old child was shot.”
We also reached out to city council member Ju’Coby Pittman since the shooting happened in her district.
She said in a statement, in part, “When it comes to crime and gun violence it appears that there is no value to life and everything is devalued...now a family is touched by violence and crime and everything is unnecessary.”
Pittman spoke to Sheriff T.K. Waters about the realignment project to change the current JSO zones to districts and how that could effect crime in the city.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or you can contact CrimeStoppers if you would like to remain anonymous at 1-866-845-TIPS.