Jacksonville, FL — A weekend designed to honor those who have lost their lives while defending the country, has been disrupted by violence in Jacksonville.
At least nine shootings with victims have been reported since Friday night. A total of four people have been killed and ten others hurt, with several of the shooting incidents claiming multiple victims.
Police are not connecting these incidents, but there’s little suspect information to go on in most of the cases.
The violence started Friday night on McMillan Street, when a 12-year-old was shot in the leg, initially claiming he didn’t know who was responsible. The incident report shows the victim later told police that his friend, 19-year-old Antonio Tyler, was playing with a gun when it accidentally went off. Tyler has been arrested for shooting in to an occupied dwelling, with a bullet he allegedly fired hitting a home on 5th Street W at the same time. The police reports say Tyler and the 12-year-old were waiting near the home for their friend to come out to go to the basketball court.
Early Saturday morning on Rawhyde Trail a man and two juveniles were shot. 18-year-old Zion Brown died, and the juveniles’ injuries are not life threatening. Police haven’t released any suspect information or details on what led up to the shooting itself.
Overnight Saturday in to Sunday saw a series of shootings.
At 2:20AM, police responded to the Hampton Ridge Apartments on Harts Road, and soon learned this was connected to a victim at Qualihallow Drive. A 20-year-old knocked on a person’s door along Quailhallow Drive saying he had been shot at the Hampton Ridge apartments. Police found the victim in a bloody shirt in the back of a car, but he was uncooperative- including not telling investigators what had happened.
Just before 4:30AM Sunday, a 21-year-old drove up to the Park West ER on 103rd. The victim had been shot in the upper back and there were also bullet holes visible in his vehicle’s rear window. The victim told police he was driving at Old Middleburg and Fouraker when his vehicle was shot at by an unknown female wearing a pink shirt and driving a white truck. He told police he didn’t know who the woman was.
Shortly after 5AM, police were called to Banyan Drive in reference to shots fired. JSO initially released that a man had been shot in the hand and face following a fight, and that a suspect was being questioned. We’ve now confirmed 28-year-old Napoleon Brown has been arrested for attempted murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. Brown’s arrest report says he, the 23-year-old victim, and a third person- who were all childhood friends- were hanging out when an argument broke out. Brown allegedly shot the victim and then pointed it at the third person, who tried to break up the fight. Brown initially left the scene, but returned while police were investigating. He has refused to speak with JSO.
Then a little after 9:30AM, a man’s body was found behind an abandoned home on King Street. Police are still working to sort through the details of this incident, and have not yet released the victim’s identity.
It was quiet then through Sunday night, when another shooting was reported around 8:30PM. Police say a man was found fatally shot outside of a home on Newbolt Court, and a woman was injured by gunfire nearby. The man who died has been identified as 35-year-old Hakeem Busch.
Then the violence continued in to Monday, when two adult men were found shot at the Roosevelt Gardens apartment complex on Lincoln Court in the early afternoon. One of those men has died and the other was taken to the hospital, but his condition was not immediately available. JSO is canvassing the neighborhood in an effort to determine what exactly happened.
Late Monday, JSO was called to a shooting at University Townhomes on Justina Road in Arlington. Police discovered several gunshots had gone through the front door of two apartments. No injuries were reported on scene, but about 15 minutes after police arrived, an off-duty officer at a nearby hospital reported that two gunshot victims were being treated for gunshots to their lower extremities. Their injuries are non-life threatening.
The victims said there were two suspects who fled the complex in a dark-colored sedan.
If you have any information about any of these incidents, you’re asked to contact JSO at 904-630-0500 or JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. You can also submit an anonymous tip and be eligible for a possible reward by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
