JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There was a large police presence in the city’s Durkeeville neighborhood Sunday morning following reports of a shooting. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed the gunfire in the area with its new ShotSpotter technology.
The JSO said its officers heard gunfire near Myrtle Avenue and West 7th Street just before 1 a.m. The department’s new ShotSpotter system confirmed the gunshots.
Officers said a 22-year-old man was shot twice in the back, then ran inside a house a block away on McCohnie Street, where he collapsed on the porch. The homeowner called police, and the man was taken to UF Health Jacksonville with non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities told News4Jax that the ShotSpotter system helps police pinpoint gunfire in real time. The system uses sensors that are essentially sensitive microphones that have been installed to pick up sounds from the street that might be gunfire, and it uses the sensors to pinpoint where the shots were fired.
News4Jax Crime and Safety analyst Gil Smith said ShotSpotter has proven to be a valuable tool that provides instant information to police both across the nation and now in Jacksonville so that they can respond quickly.
“It doesn't always solve the crime, but it at least gets them there to be able to conduct an investigation,” Smith said.
News4Jax reporter Allyson Henning spoke with Durkeeville resident Vivian Scott, who said she heard what sounded like a machine gun.
“It's just terrible. It needs to stop. Guns is not the answer,” Scott said.
Scott said she jumped out of bed and onto the floor after hearing gunshots right behind her home.
“(I heard) pow, pow, pow,” Scott said. “Like they just unloaded a machine gun or something.”
Police said they were not able to find a body or anyone injured, but the investigation into the gunfire is ongoing.
Click here to learn more about the ShotSpotter system.