3 killed, 2 hurt in shooting in North Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three men are dead and two women hurt after a shooting Sunday night on the Northside, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Officers dispatched to Linda Drive said four people were shot around 7:45 p.m.

Homicide detectives said three men were found dead at the scene with gunshot wounds and two women were taken to UF Health Jacksonville. One of the women was shot, and the other suffered injuries but was not shot.

The three men were later identified as 17-year-old Prosper Natron Johnson, 20-year-old Deanta Holsey and 26-year-old Bobby Norris III (pictured below in Instagram photo). Johnson and Holsey were found dead in the road. Norris was shot inside the house.

Monday morning, police were still working the crime scene and widened it to include apartments farther down Linda Drive, which is between Lem Turner Road and Interstate 95. 

News4Jax crime analyst Gil Smith evaluated the scene and his sources said two of the men who were shot came to the house heavily armed, starting the violence while friends held a get-together.

"People around here are saying, they are saying this wasn't a random act," Smith said. "They believe the people who came here, who started the shooting, knew these people. They had some type of confrontation with them in the past, and they came back here. That's what they believe. It hasn't been confirmed, but that's what they believe. So it shouldn't be too difficult for police to solve this."

Cedric Herndon said he could hear the gunshots over the phone, as he was talking to his wife.

"At first it was just a single pop. Pop. Pop. And then boom, boom, boom. And I was like 'Oh my God.' So it was intense," Herndon said. "And she said, 'They are having a shootout!' I told her to get (in) the house!"

Three women told News4Jax there was a cookout or party in the area Sunday night, and they heard dozens of gunshots. One said she hid after the shooting and then heard cars and people fleeing the area.

Apparently some children saw the crime scene while heading to their bus stop for school Monday morning.

Monday, neighbors talked about recent violence in the area.

"I feel like like something needs to be done about it more than just talking about it," Alphonso Jones said.

According to JSO's database, there have been 167 assaults within a mile radius since January and 39 robberies. A 53-year-old man was shot and killed a block away in December.

Two women who live in the neighborhood said they're looking to move because of Sunday's shooting. 

"Everybody has to come together. If we don't stand for something, we are going to continually fall for everything," said Felissa Thomas, whose daughter attends a nearby school. "No one stands together for anything anymore. It's always about guns, violence, drugs."

One woman was so scared that she didn't even want her face to be shown on camera.

"It's too much crime out here. I mean who wants to be identified and we be scared for our lives, maybe they come back and get us," said an anonymous neighbor.

AJ Jordan, with the local group MAD DADS, visited the scene and said he's saddened to see another act of violence on Jacksonville's streets.

"MAD DADS is outraged about it. We are coming out, hoping that the community will just step up and say something," Jordan said. "I mean -- three people dead, two injured and nobody has said anything yet."

Anyone with information on Sunday's shooting is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.


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