JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – “I’m just telling my story in hopes it evokes change,” Mercedez Jones said as she read from a memoir in the living room of her home.
Jones wrote the reflection piece over the past year, recounting what it was like to be involved in the traumatizing tragedy of the Dollar General shooting.
It’s a day she will never forget. A gunman opened fire in a hate-filled attack that left three innocent souls dead.
Jones was one of the survivors. She drives by the store every morning to take her 2-year-old daughter to day care but said the constant commute brings back unwanted trauma.
“The one thing that sticks in my mind about that day is that you can’t really get that image of the shooter out of your head. You cannot unsee him. I can see him right now,” Jones said.
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Just one day after the 1-year mark of the shooting, Jones said it’s still hard to heal from the pain.
She was in the store with her daughter, grabbing art supplies when the shooter came in.
“It was surreal. It wasn’t just because it was you gotta act fast. You gotta act fast. You don’t really understand what’s going on. So I act fast. I have a daughter with me, so I didn’t have time to freeze up,” Jones said.
Leaving all her belongings behind, she grabbed her daughter and ran out of the emergency door.
“I was kind of trapped behind Dollar General, and that’s how we came in contact with the shooter me, as well as other three older white ladies who couldn’t jump the fence as well,” Jones said. “We were there begging and pleading for our lives when I actually didn’t hear him say, ‘If you don’t want me to shoot you, run.’ I can’t recall. Another lady who’s actually closer to him, she recalls him saying those words. All I know is, at the same time, I knew he wasn’t shooting.”
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Jones ran for her life as she heard shots ring out behind her.
“I ran into Flag Street Apartments and banged on a lady’s door. I think her name is Mrs. Miriam. I’m so glad for her because she actually let me and my daughter in,” she said.
The interaction with the gunman still replays in her head.
You don’t get that image out of your head. They say time heals all wounds. But when you can’t make sense of it, yeah, it doesn’t really go away,” Jones said. “It wasn’t just mentally traumatizing. It was soul-crushing to think someone would do something like that, senseless madness.”
Jones is looking for assistance with finding a new area to live. If you’re interested in helping, email faithisthewaytohappiness@gmail.com.
Listen to Jones’ message to the shooter below: