JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The Jacksonville Beach Police Department said one juvenile and three adults were shot Saturday evening during a “takeover” event and are all expected to survive.
The incident happened in the area of Beach Boulevard and Third Street, not far from the Seawalk Music Festival, but Jacksonville Beach Mayor Christine Hoffman made it clear the “takeover” was separate from the festival.
“I want to make no mistake, there was a separate takeover event that was not permitted,” Hoffman said. “The organizers of the event, again, we are going to hold them as accountable as we possibly can.”
Jacksonville Beach Police Sgt. Tonya Tator also confirmed the shooting happened during a “takeover” event.
Tator said a group of people were in an altercation, then shots were fired. Tator said one juvenile and three adults were shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The violence left crowds nearby frightened.
“We made everybody get behind the bars,” said one local employee, who asked not to be identified. “We shut down. We did. We shut down two hours early. This is a huge night, but you know, I mean, there’s things that are more important than keeping a business open. Everybody needs to be safe.”
No arrests have been made as officers were still processing the scene Saturday night.
Watch the full news conference below:
Warnings issued
Earlier this week, JBPD shared two posts warning against such takeover events at the beaches.
PSA: Unauthorized and Unpermitted Events are AGAINST THE LAW.
Unauthorized events include any event or gatherings that are publicly promoted and have not successfully completed the Special Events application process. This includes promoting “POP-UP TAKEOVER” events on Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, etc.
Unauthorized or unpermitted events held on City property will be subject to law enforcement action as authorized by Florida Statutes, including but not limited, to §§316.1891 and 877.03, F.S.
Promoters will be subject to both criminal and civil liabilities.
Attendees breaking the law will be arrested.
Zero Tolerance. No warnings. No do-overs. No second chances. Just some handcuffs and a trip to jail.
A day later, JBPD shared another post with an example of a situation during a takeover in New York.
Mayor Hoffman was clearly frustrated by Saturday evening’s incident.
“We had a wonderful festival going on, and by all accounts, we’re having a really great day, until a few bad actors who decided to bring chaos and violence to our community...” Hoffman said. “We’re over it. We’re not going to do this anymore.”
Concerning trend
This comes just a week after a shooting at Avenues Mall during a “teen takeover.”
Earlier this week, community leaders and law enforcement talked about how to prevent these large teen takeovers and urged organizers to coordinate with adults and authorities to make the events safer.
Last August, JSO reported that it had recovered drugs and drugs and made several arrests when it interrupted a series of “teen takeovers.”