Father struggles after son killed in drive-by crossfire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local father is still struggling emotionally three weeks after he says his son was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting.

Jack Hoover was headed home with his family late last month when he was shot and killed off Myrtle Avenue North in Jacksonville.

"It really destroyed my family," said Freddy Raines, Hoover's father. "Once we were one big happy family. We were all one and used to be together. Now that one special part of us is gone. And it's a very hard pill to swallow."

Raines said work is the only place that keeps his mind off the pain. He's owned his own shoeshine business Downtown for nearly 40 years.

"I am a people person. I love people," Raines said.

Three weeks ago Raines got a devastating phone call about his son that changed his life forever.

"He went to see his mother. His wife had come to pick him up so they could go home, and when they left they ran into this altercation that was going on with somebody else and drove right in the middle of a drive-by," Raines said. "They took his life."

Hoover was caught in the crossfire with his wife, stepdaughter and three grandchildren. Hoover and his wife were both hit. She survived. None of their children were hurt.

"It's rough on the kids. It's rough on my wife. It's rough on everybody," Raines said. "Jack was a loving guy. You had to love him.

"We weren't looking for us to bury our son," he said. "He was supposed to bury us. It's tragic the way he went. This killing needs to stop. Innocent people are getting hurt."

Police said they really need the community's help; they still don't any have leads.

If you have any information that can help, call Crimestoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).