JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A tow truck driver was shot and killed late Tuesday night on the Eastside while attempting to repossess a vehicle, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The shooter is still on the run, police said.
JSO said officers responded around 10 p.m. to a reported shooting at the Sanctuary Walk apartment complex on East 21st Street, a few blocks east of Phoenix Avenue.
Investigators said the tow truck driver went to the complex to repossess a vehicle, and an argument started with the vehicle’s owner. JSO said a man then came outside and fired multiple shots, hitting the tow truck driver.
The driver was taken to a hospital but died from his injuries. The shooter fled the scene and has not been arrested.
JSO said there is no threat to the community at this time.
The sheriff’s office has not released the name of the driver or the company he worked for. They also do not have a description of the suspect, and have not indicated any possible relationship between the suspected shooter and the person involved in the repossession dispute.
Rico Jones, who owns a local tow truck company not involved in the incident, said the violence against the driver concerns him.
“Why would you shoot a man for doing his job? If you was at your job and a customer came and you said something and you got shot at your job, how would you feel?” Jones told News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee. “So as a person who owns tow trucks and deals with a lot of local businesses, if we have people just shooting you because you run your business, how would you feel?”
Jones said his granddaughter has connections to the apartment complex where the shooting took place, which is why he initially stopped when he saw the crime scene tap on Wednesday morning.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by phone at (904) 630-0500, by email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org, or via CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS