JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man died Christmas Eve after a shooting outside of a business on St. Augustine Road, about two blocks south of Emerson Street.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said an argument between two men escalated to gunfire.
Investigators say one man pulled out a handgun during the argument and shot the other. Police say they have very little information about the suspect right now.
JSO says the victim was found shot multiple times outside the building when officers came to the scene around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday.
“When the shots started firing, I could hear the bullets ricocheting off of stuff, then started seeing people run to the front door of the store,” one neighbor said.
Several neighbors expressed concern about the violence in their community.
“It’s Christmas. What are we doing here? I don’t like that,” another neighbor said. “It’s time to get out of here, as simple as that. We can’t be around stuff like that anymore.”
A friend of the victim said they had known him for about four months.
“I was up here, and I saw when they took his body,” the friend said. “He was a very nice man. He was one of our friends. We used to hang out every day.”
JSO says they are still investigating the incident and trying to determine whether there was any relationship between the two men, but they believe the shooting was an isolated incident that does not pose a public threat.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information to come forward. You can call the JSO non-emergency number at 904-630-0500, email jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org or contact CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS.