JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As 2022 comes to a close, many local families impacted by violence still wait for answers in their loved one’s cases.
News4JAX records show this year, the number of homicides in Jacksonville rose nearly 27% from 2021. As of Dec. 27, there had been 165 homicides, 127 of which were classified as murders.
From 2020 to 2021, there was a drop in both homicides and murders. Those numbers appear to be going up again.
At the intersection of New Kings Road and Moncrief Road West in Northwest Jacksonville, a memorial sign still hangs in honor of 13-year-old Prince Holland.
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The teenager died after someone shot into the car he was riding in after football tryouts.
News4JAX records show Holland is Jacksonville’s youngest known murder victim in 2022.
AJ Jordan with the anti-crime group MAD DADS met up with News4JAX and went over a list of 2022′s known murder victims. Tevin Robinson, Kaleb Floyd, Deja Daniels, Steven Lackey, Steven Lindsay, Shelley Crumley and Santeria Williams were just a small handful of what he read.
Each name represents a stolen life.
“Jelijah Barnes,” Jordan read aloud. “I talked to his mother. We’re still trying to get justice for Jelijah.”
Countless families torn apart by grief.
“Darnell Wilson,” Jordan read. “I just talked to his sister the other day.”
Jordan said these stories feel personal.
“We have served a lot of these families and we want answers for them, for our community,” Jordan said, fighting back tears. “I wish we could do more. I know as an organization, I wish we could do more, but I know it takes all of us to work together. But it’s hard.”
Jordan said even though it’s hard, the group’s mission hasn’t changed, which is to support families and encourage people with information to talk to the police.
“It’s hard. These families call, a lot of them call us and want answers,” Jordan said. “And we can’t give them the answers they want. The community has to step up and give them the answers.”
Jordan said the number of murders is a heartbreak that transcends generations.
“We’re losing fathers and mothers,” Jordan said. “And our children, their children are being raised without their father, without their mother. It’s just not right.”
There are also those victims without names, known only as “record exempt.” Their identities are shielded by Marsy’s Law.
“A John Doe, that was a life,” Jordan said. “A life that mattered.”
As the city prepares to turn the page on 2022, Jordan has a renewed hope for a better future. Together.
“I know we always say, ‘the police this, the police that, we don’t trust the police,’” Jordan said. “But as a community, we have to have the right heart to do the right thing. We can’t always wait on the police to do the right thing. We have to take control of our communities.”
While JSO has cleared many homicide cases this year, quite a few remain unsolved. This includes 13-year-old Prince Holland’s case.
The reward for information leading to an arrest in that case stands at $15,000.
If you can help the police solve any of the 2022 murders, you’re asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers. With Crime Stoppers, you do not have to give your name. The number to call is: 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).