Police: Man robbed, shot walking with daughter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police are searching for a man robbed a dad Friday night in front of his 5-year-old daughter.

The victim was able to fire off some shots at the robber, who returned fire as he ran away, hitting the dad in the legs.

The 31-year-old victim, who is not being identified because the shooter has not been caught, said a man came up to them on West 61st Street with a gun and said, "Give it up easy or give it up hard."

The victim then pulled some items out of his pockets and threw them on the ground. The robber bent over to pick them up and the victim got out his own gun and started shooting at the robber, police said.

The robber started running away and shot back toward the victim, hitting him in the thigh.

News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said it's possible the robber will turn up at a hospital, if he was hit by the victim's gunfire.

"He may have been shot and maybe gone out of town, maybe Daytona or some place where they may not be familiar with the case," Smith said.

Smith said the victim did the right thing.

"He had a firearm but he didn't just didn't pull it out immediately and start shooting at the guy, because he had his 5-year-old daughter with him," Smith said. "He waited until he had an opportunity where it was safe to do that."

The victim crawled to a nearby home and asked the homeowner to call 911.

"I was so scared, I was shaking," said a woman who witnessed the shooting. "I had seen a man on the ground and there was blood everywhere."

The witness, who is being identified only as Brianna because the shooter is still at large, said she heard gunfire that stopped and started again, and then she ran outside to see what was going on.

"Then I saw a boy, maybe 6 (feet) 1 (inch), 6 (feet) 2 (inches), and he ran behind my house," Brianna said.

Police received a call about the shooting about 9 p.m. Friday and found the victim, who was taken to UF Health in stable condition and remained hospitalized Saturday.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released surveillance video in the case.

The shooter is described as a black man in dark clothes, wearing reflective Air Jordan sneakers.

Police are asking for the community's help in finding the shooter. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS.

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