JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Neighbors in Panama Park on Jackonville’s Northside are outraged over a 12-year-old being shot in broad daylight on Thursday.
Police said the 12-year-old was walking along Buffalo Avenue with a man, who News4JAX learned was the girl’s older relative, when an unknown vehicle drove up and started shooting.
“Everybody’s sentiment is, why a kid? There’s a lot of anger and frustration,” a woman who didn’t want to be identified said.
According to the 12-year-old’s relative, the man she was with was the intended target, but she got hit in the crossfire. She was taken to the hospital in stable condition, and her family members said she was doing much better a day later.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding what led to the shooting.
“I was in my home getting my 4-year-old ready to go to the park,” a man said. “We were heading down the stairs, and I heard between five and 10, what I thought were fireworks going off, but I looked out the window and saw people scattering and diving on the ground. I assumed it was gunshots.”
Another woman said she saw a car speeding off after the gunshots rang out.
Other neighbors expressed anger about the situation as well.
This is not the first time this year that a child was shot in Jacksonville during a drive-by. In January, a 4-year-old was wounded during a drive-by shooting on Oaklawn Road.
The child was sitting in an SUV when she was hit. No shooter was arrested in that case.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst and former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office director Tom Hackney said gun violence goes too far when innocent people are injured or killed -- especially when a child is affected.
“From the investigative standpoint, it makes you work a little bit extra harder to solve that for them because their absolutely innocent and it’s frustrating to see,” Hackney said.
If anyone has information about either shooting, call JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS to remain anonymous.