Jacksonville police connect homicide to double shooting in same area

Deadly shooting happened just over 15 hours after 2 shot along West 5th Street

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A deadly shooting Wednesday afternoon near the New Town area is believed to be connected to a double shooting Tuesday night in the same area, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said. 

The Sheriff's Office said it got a ShotSpotter alert about 12:50 p.m. Wednesday for multiple gunshots at West Fifth and Whitner streets, followed by several 911 calls.

When police arrived, according to the Sheriff's Office, they found a man in his 30s dead in the road of at least one gunshot wound.

Sgt. Steve Rudlaff, with the Sheriff's Office, said a Real Time Crime Center video camera a couple blocks away showed two people in black masks getting into a blue, four-door sedan. Rudlaff said that was the same area where two people were shot Tuesday evening

When asked whether Wednesday's homicide might be connected, Rudlaff acknowledged, “We can only put it together that it is.”

RELATED: Man, woman wounded in shooting on West 5th Street

The Sheriff's Office said about 15 to 20 shots were fired Wednesday and police hope witnesses will come forward.

About 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Sheriff's Office, a man and woman were standing outside on West Fifth Street near the intersection of Barnett Street when a white Ford Taurus approached. The Sheriff's Office said several rounds were fired from the car. An officer said it's unclear if the shooting was a drive-by. The car fled the area following the shooting.

The man was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The woman, who police said transported herself to a hospital, had injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

Sky 4 video taken about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday showed police recovering and removing a blue, four-door sedan from the Hilltop Village Apartments on West 45th Street -- about 2 ½ miles north of the shooting scenes. The car appears to match the description of the car sought in Wednesday's homicide. Sources told News4Jax that the car is believed to be connected to the killing and will be processed.

Aerial footage showed evidence technicians lifting fingerprints and taking photos of the car before it was removed. In the video, a heavy police presence can be seen in the complex, including officers with assault weapons in hand.

Victoria Mincey, who lives at Hilltop Village Apartments, told News4Jax that she couldn’t get inside the complex for hours. She said her son was inside a building surrounded by police and SWAT near the location where the car was towed away.

"It’s really aggravating. I just want to make sure that my kids are OK, you know what I’m saying? And I will be all right," Mincey said.

She added that "gun violence is bad" in the Northwest Jacksonville area.

"It’s just going crazy," Mincey said. "The world is just making me think it’s coming to an end with all the killing and all the crazy stuff that’s going on."

"Violence Interrupters" with Cure Violence were at the West Fifth Street scene, handing out cards that read, "Peace in Duval," as police were gathering evidence at the nearby scene.

Police cleared the complex just after 8 p.m. Wednesday. 

Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).


Recommended Videos