Boy, 5, shot inside Westside home

Police working to determine who fired shot

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 5-year-old boy was shot Sunday inside a home on the city’s Westside, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.

The boy was shot once in the chest about 10:30 a.m. in the living room of the home on Vining Street near Kinkaid Road, seven blocks north of 103rd Street in the Jacksonville Heights neighborhood, police said.

Sgt. Steve Rudlaff said the boy’s father and two younger siblings, a 1-year old and a 2-year old, were in the home when the shooting happened. The father told police that he was not in the room when the boy was shot. Rudlaff said the boy’s mother was not home at the time of the shooting.

Rudlaff said police do not know who fired the shot.

Neighbors told police that they heard a single gunshot, then saw the boy’s father walking outside with his son in his arms.

Rudlaff said JSO is looking to multiple agencies, including the Department of Child Services, to assist.

The boy was flown to UF Health Jacksonville where he is in critical condition, Rudlaff said.

Authorities are not releasing the identities of those involved.