JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A snow cone business dream will never become a reality for a Jacksonville family after a father was fatally shot outside his Westside home while protecting his loved ones.
Donte Swan, a father of 12, was killed on May 15, just steps away from his front door. His fiancée Iesha Gibson said they heard suspicious activity around their vehicles, and Swan went to go check it out.
“He was a great person, a great guy, a great father, a great man,” Gibson said.
Gibson told News4JAX she first noticed trouble when returning home from work.
“I saw two people on the sidewalk,” Gibson said. “Then three more people emerged from outside our cars and ran, leaving the doors open.”
After Gibson made it safely inside, the couple’s security cameras captured more movement outside. When Swan and Gibson stepped out to check their vehicles, the situation turned deadly.
“He was telling me to go back into the house,” Gibson said. “He was walking back around the truck to come inside when shots rang out,” she said. “That’s when he was hit on the side.”
Swan was known for his dedication to his twelve children and his plans to launch a family business. “He had just bought a snow cone truck. That’s what we were supposed to be doing this summer,” Gibson said.
Beyond business aspirations, Swan prioritized family gatherings and creating memories. “He looked forward to the summer, Christmas break, anytime we could get all the kids together. That’s always what he wanted to do,” Gibson said.
She said her children are the ones holding her together through her grief.
“I don’t know what I’d be without them,” Gibson said.
Gibson is urging anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. “If you know something, please turn them in,” she pleaded. “They hurt a family that didn’t deserve to be hurt.”
No arrests have been made, though detectives are reviewing video footage and following suspect leads, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
If you have any information on the shooting, call 904-630-0500.
