JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A rapper gunned down on the doorstep of his Westside apartment overnight was described Thursday by a colleague as a loving father who had a positive outlook on life.
Police said Henry Ernesto Martinez, who went by the name “Ya Boy H,” was found dead about 12:10 a.m. Thursday from multiple gunshot wounds at the front door of his unit at the Windy Pines Apartments on 103rd Street, near Interstate 295.
His girlfriend was home at the time and was questioned by police, who have not yet identified the shooter.
Lafayette Cunningham, a video director who worked with Martinez in New York, told News4Jax that Martinez had moved to Jacksonville recently and lived here with his girlfriend and their young son.
“His son was his world,” Cunningham said. “He used to post a lot of pictures of himself, and once his son was born, you started seeing a lot of pictures of his son, and you could just see the joy in his face every time his son was around.”
Cunningham said he was confused Thursday when he started getting text messages about Martinez' death.
“I went on Facebook and looked a little bit, and I kept seeing it over and over, and then I contacted his family and stuff, and yeah, it was real,” Cunningham said.
He said he worked on several music videos with Martinez and didn't know anyone who didn't like the 29-year-old.
“He was a very likable guy,” Cunningham said. “He would do anything for anybody. He was just a really positive person.”
Neighbors on edge
Police said no gun was found at the scene and there was no indication the shooter tried to enter the apartment.
At least nine bullet holes could be seen along the front of the apartment unit, and neighbors said they are frightened by the violence.
“When you hear gunshots, you don’t go and look and see what’s going on. All I heard was the gunshots and that was it,” said one woman who asked not to be identified. “It’s too close to me. That’s really too close to me.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asking to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.