JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Loved ones of a 22-year-old man shot and killed in January are calling for change, one day after Jacksonville's 101st homicide of the year.
On Saturday, Thomas Peterson, 16, was shoton West 11th Street in Northwest Jacksonville, police said. Friends took him to the hospital where he died of his injuries. Police are still looking for the shooter.
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Jerry Brown was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting on the Northside in January. Sunday night, his father and other loved ones attended a prayer service in his honor.
During the prayer service, Brown's father spoke about Peterson.
"My heart goes out to the Thomas Peterson family; I know them personally," Jerry Brown Sr. said. "I've been speaking with them all day."
Police don't believe Brown was the target in the January shooting. But his family is still left with the pain caused by it.
"It still hurts," Brown said. "Eight-and-a-half months later, it hurts."
Police don't have leads as to who killed Brown or Peterson.
Ministers of the On the Right Track worship center hope prayer and a public dedication to Brown will cultivate change in Jacksonville's youth and a willingness to step up and speak out against senseless crime.
Anyone with any information in either of the shootings can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-866-845-TIPS. Callers may be eligible for a cash reward.