Families want gun violence to end in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The city of Jacksonville is dealing with shootings roughly once a day.

By the time our story aired on Friday, Oct. 22, Action News Jax records show 297 shootings have been investigated by JSO this year based on notices they’ve sent out.

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A heat map created showed all the addresses where they happened. The redder areas listed show where more shootings have taken place, whether similar addresses or an intersection.

There have been at least 21 shootings alone in October.

Robin Clemons’ son was shot and killed in September. She spoke with Action News Jax about her 31-year-old son, Timothy Thomas, and said there’s no suspect in her son’s death.

“It’s very hard to deal and to accept with I’m never going to see my son again,” she said. “My grandkids are never going to see their dad again, my son my daughter are never going to see their brother again.”

Mayor Lenny Curry wasn’t available for an interview when Action News Jax asked what’s being done to prevent crime. We were sent a statement saying public safety remains a top priority. It read in part, “That’s why my budget provides Sheriff Mike Williams with the tools, personnel, and resources his officers need to protect and serve.”

This was the same exact response Action News Jax got five months ago when reporting on a similar topic. We told the city it was the same response and a spokesperson said the mayor was busy in meetings all day and would try to get us an updated statement.

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Shortly after, the spokesperson said after speaking with JSO they declined to comment.

As for Clemons, she wants the violence to stop and hope people speak up.

“People don’t like to talk because they’re afraid but if people start talking a lot of this could come to a stop,” Clemons said.

Action News Jax also reached out to JSO on what is being done but have yet to hear a response.

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