JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An East Jacksonville family is mourning after a 19-year-old man was shot to death Tuesday near the intersection of East Union and Ionia streets.
Officers said Curtis Booker Jr. was found lying dead in the street near the Old City Cemetery, just east of where the Matthews Bridge empties into Union Street.
Police haven’t released many details about Booker’s death, but News4Jax spoke with his mother, Thelma Maya Huton, Wednesday, and she said investigators told her Booker was shot in the head.
A woman who lives nearby said she woke up at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday to the sound of gunshots. When she went outside, she found Booker’s body lying in the street.
Investigators haven’t released any information about a possible gunman but Huton said she believes her son’s killer is someone he knows.
Huton said she spoke with Booker on Monday and made plans to spend Wednesday with him.
"He called me up and he said, 'Mom, I want to take you out to eat tomorrow.' I said, 'Great, son.' And then I never saw him," Huton said.
Booker’s loved ones have created a memorial to him, at which people have placed candles, teddy bears and balloons.
“I couldn't even fathom that my son was shot," Huton said. "Not my son. Not my 19-year-old son. I hope that justice will be served and they find the perpetrator who shot my son in the head.”
Anyone with information about Booker’s death is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).