JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office continues to search for the person who shot four people on the city’s Westside on Sunday morning, News4JAX has obtained surveillance video that shows part of the chaos.
While the video did not capture the entire shooting incident, it did capture a moment when many people were leaving the Paxon Liquor Store and Lounge as police were on their way to investigate a report of a shooting in the parking lot. As the first officer arrives, the sound of a single gunshot is heard. That appeared to be the last shot fired.
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A nearby neighbor who asked to remain anonymous told News4JAX that she and her husband were watching TV when they heard gunfire.
“We heard gunshots. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Several gunshots,” said the neighbor.
All four gunshot victims had non-life-threatening injuries. And according to police, the shooter ran away and has not been caught. It’s still unclear what led to the shooting, but it’s believed to have started as an argument inside the Paxon Liquor Store and Lounge. The manager told News4JAX that she did not feel comfortable talking about what happened until after she spoke with the detective handling the case.
Sunday morning’s gun violence was not the first time shots were fired inside the parking lot. Back in December, Corey Denmark, 49, of Jacksonville, was one of two people shot in that same parking lot. Denmark died from his injuries. The shooter has yet to be captured.
In addition to the history of gun violence, police have repeatedly been called to that shopping center parking lot to deal with late-night noise complaints involving loud music and large gatherings.
Last October, News4JAX recorded video of two back-to-back nights of excessively loud music in the parking lot. It led to police swarming the lot after security guards who were patrolling the property became overwhelmed by the number of people. News4JAX recorded the video after a neighbor reached out to complain about the noise that kept her and her neighbors up late at night. She said after News4JAX reported the story, things began to die down, but now, she’s noticed the late-night noise is picking back up. She said Thursday night, around 11:45, she once again called the JSO non-emergency number to report loud music coming from the parking lot.
JSO said since Jan. 1, officers have responded to that area 18 times for different incidents and complaints.