JSO: 7-year-old killed in “justifiable” homicide was shot by family member

Jacksonville, FL — The fatal shooting of 7-year-old Tashawn Gallon last February was at the hands of one of the boy’s family members who was acting in self defense, according to new investigative reports released by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

WOKV told you Monday that the death had been ruled "excusable". On Tuesday, police say they had an additional consultation with the State Attorney's Office, and have instead classified the case as a "justifiable" homicide instead.

Gallon was caught in the crossfire in a Durkeeville shooting last February. Police say an SUV pulled up in front of a Mt. Herman Street home and at least one person inside opened fire. Police have now concluded that three people outside of that home shot back. One of them was a family member of Gallon, and the reports show that it was his gun that fired the fatal shot, while shooting back at the SUV, which is believed to have been done in self defense.

The dozens of pages of investigative reports paint a complex and interconnected web of several persons of interest, shootings, and even murders that may be connected to this case. The motive to the shooting appears to have been either in retaliation, or in relation to a falling out between the family member and a person of interest.

Police have many statements from people who were interviewed and other evidence that points to that specific person of interest being involved in the shooting from the SUV. That man was killed just a few months after this incident.

The reports also show that another shooting took place near this crime scene, and that one was first alerted by ShotSpotter. A vehicle was found on West 6th Street with a bullet hole in the driver’s front window, according to JSO. The vehicle was last driven by a family member of the previously mentioned person of interest. That last-seen driver is also family to a different person of interest who may have been in the SUV.

On a different block of West 6th Street, police recovered the SUV they believe was used in the Mt. Herman shooting. The vehicle had a fresh bullet strike on the rear passenger side, according to JSO. It had previously been reported stolen.

Because nobody has been criminally charged with the boy’s death, WOKV is not naming the persons of interest or family members involved. A second person who was shot in the hand in the incident that killed Gallon- and who is also believed to have returned fire on the SUV- was arrested on a weapons charge, but that was later dropped.