JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – At least five young children have been the unintentional victims of gunfire over the past six months in Jacksonville, but there’s only been an arrest made in one of those cases.
Kae’Lynn Matthews was three years old when she was shot and killed at a Southside apartment complex in September. Two adults were also killed.
News4JAX spoke with the child’s mother and grandmother a few days later.
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“Everyone is hurt and devastated,” said Kae’Lynn’s grandmother, Valencia Strowder. “Whoever did this, it’s not just our family, it’s her extended family, her village of friends. There was a true village that helped raise Kae’Lynn.”
Just four days after Kae’lynn was shot, 6-year-old Mi’King Sims was killed and his 12-year-old sister was hurt in a shooting in the Lackawanna area. According to JSO, they were asleep inside an apartment when they were both hit by a bullet that came through the wall.
The rash of violence prompted outrage from Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, who shared his anguish in a news conference. He also spoke directly to the killers.
“I vow to you that this agency will not rest until you are held accountable for your crimes. You took the lives of innocent children,” Waters said. “Our community will not protect you, and our community rejects the sub-culture that glorifies the violence that you promote.”
Those cases remain unsolved and active, according to a spokesperson for JSO. Since then, at least two more children have been caught in gunfire, including a 2-year-old boy who was hurt after being shot in the leg in the Hogan’s Creek area in December. He was inside watching TV when gunfire from outside made its way into his home.
In the shootings of five young children since August, including the shooting that hurt a 4-year-old girl Wednesday, JSO has made an arrest in one case: the August shooting of 12-year-old Lilchelle Johnson in Northwest Jacksonville. Darion Sumpter, 21, was arrested less than a week later, accused of firing the shot that hit the child as he was trying to rob someone else.
JSO is asking anyone with information in those active cases to contact them at 904-630-0500 or via email at JSOCrimeTips@Jaxsheriff.org.
In recent years, the CDC found guns were the leading cause of death among young people 19 and under.
There are resources available for victims and their families. The Jacksonville Urban League offers guidance through the criminal justice process, as well as victim advocacy and help with the application for victim compensation.