JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 41-year-old woman was critically injured Tuesday afternoon after she was shot several times, including at least once in the face, outside a home in Northwest Jacksonville, authorities said.
Officers answering a 12:45 p.m. shooting call near Grothe Street and Myrtle Avenue found the woman, later identified as Veta Muller, had been shot on the porch of a home, according to the Sheriff's Office. Five shell casings were found on the ground.
Sgt. Nick Butler said Muller was rushed to UF Health Jacksonville with life-threatening injuries. People who know Muller said she's a mother.
Butler said investigators do not yet have any concrete information on the shooter.
"We had some preliminary information on some vehicles" Butler said. "We don’t know if they were accurate at this point, so we have to gather further information before we put that out.”
Roderick Dorsey rushed to the scene when he heard.
"I have been knowing her for a very long time," Roderick Dorsey said. "She (has been) a part of the community for a very long time and has helped a lot of kids and people."
Dorsey said he believes this community needs to have stronger police presence to deter crime. News4Jax found there had been five assaults and two burglaries within a one-mile radius of the shooting over the last seven days.
"It's a lot of crime in this whole area -- that is all that you see: guns shooting" Dorsey said. "I wish that someone would step up somewhere and do something about it."
Anyone with information about the shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).