JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Westside mother who said her son moved back home to help her has been trying to come to terms with his shooting death, and said she is hoping someone will come forward with information that will lead detectives to his killer.
According to police, someone shot and killed Christopher "Chip" Oney last week as he was picking up his 18-wheeler in the 9500 block of Normandy Boulevard.
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Oney's mother, Charlene Palladino, described her son, who once served in the Navy alongside Special Forces, as a true American who would do anything for his country or anybody in need.
"He was in the Navy for 13 years, and he was in Special Forces. He was all over the world and he loved what he did. People loved him right back. He was a good person," Palladino said.
Police found 41-year-old Oney shot and bleeding from the head on Jan. 23. He was taken by air ambulance to Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, where he died.
"They don?t understand what they took from us. They have no idea," Palladino said.
Oney's mother said at the time of the shooting her son, an independent trucker, was on the phone with his dispatcher to work out the day's schedule when he stepped out of his truck to do his routine walk around.
"She heard a loud noise over the phone, and then nothing. She was going, 'Chip, talk to me,'" Palladino said.
She said the dispatcher was only about five minutes away and that she rushed to the lot and found Oney lying, motionless on the ground.
Palladino said robbery was not the motive for her son's slaying because none of his belonging were taken. She said her son got along well with everyone and that she didn?t know him to have any enemies, but also said she doesn't believe Oney's death was a random act of violence.
"This was a personal thing. Why? Nobody knows. Everyone is scratching their heads. We don't understand why or the reason behind all of this," Palladino said.
No arrests have been made in Oney's slaying, but Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said it is looking into some suspects.
Palladino has set up the Christopher "Chip" Oney Memorial Fund at Navy Federal Credit Union to which the donation can be made to offset some of the financial struggles with which Oney's family will have to deal.