City Council member shares plans to tackle violence on Jacksonville's Westside, following fatal shooting of 7-year-old girl

Jacksonville, FL — As the search continues for Abrion Price, the third and final suspect tied to the Westside fatal shooting of 7-year-old Heidy Rivas-Villanueva, the newly appointed City Council member for that district, Terrance Freeman, is laying out how he hopes to address safety concerns among neighbors.

Freeman, speaking with our partner Action News Jax, says while he hopes to get more officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office patrolling the streets, he believes it's about helping kids.

He says he wants to partner up with community organizations, like the Kids Hope Alliance, that give kids positive opportunities.

"To offer kids and teens safe spaces... as opposed to being drawn into this life of crime, they're more attracted to this opportunity to get exposed to STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics], and different types of endeavors that could help them with careers," says Freeman.

Freeman says he wants families in the district to know that the City hears them and their safety concerns.