JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – On the 203rd day of 2019, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded to the 210th shooting -- a man shot in the leg at an apartment complex off Beach Boulevard. He is expected to survive. There's no suspect in custody and not even a good description of the gunman.
On Monday, there were four people shot and two died, including a double shooting on Beaverbrook Place off McDuff Avenue -- a few doors down from where a woman was stabbed to death last month.
When people saw our crew on that street Tuesday, they scattered. No one was willing to talk about what happened.
According to News4Jax records, 71 of this year's shootings in Jacksonville were deadly. Of those victims, 29 were age 25 or younger. Four of those young victims were women.
The majority of suspects accused of these slayings are also young.
"You see young suspects being arrested. They generally vary from 18 to 35," News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said. "We have got to get a handle on the gangs or small groups that are festering in our city."
While shootings happen across the community, more than half of the deadly violence is in three ZIP codes: 32208 (10), 32209 (18) and 32210 (10). Two of those are in Northwest Jacksonville and one is on the Westside.
Anyone who has any information about any shooting in Jacksonville is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.