‘We don’t have to have 140’: Family of Jacksonville’s 139th shooting victim desperate for answers

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two suspects are on the run after a deadly shooting on Tuesday night on Jacksonville’s Eastside.

Family members identified the victim as Vincent Samuels. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed the 29-year-old father of one was shot on 25th Street.

He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

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“Someone took a life, and I want people to think about — what if it was their son, their brother, their cousin, their child that was senselessly taken,” Samuels’ father, who has the same name, said.

Witnesses told police that two men in a white car took off from the scene of the shooting.

But JSO hasn’t announced any arrests as of Thursday, and there’s no new information about a possible suspect.

The family is now searching for answers and justice.

“We are serious. We are not going to give up. Vincent’s life did mean something,” Terry Gartrell, the victim’s mother, said.

The family is offering a $3,000 reward through First Coast Crime Stoppers for any information that could lead to an arrest.

They are now working with MAD DADS to canvas the neighborhood for tips.

Samuels died in Jacksonville’s 139th shooting of 2021, which happened on the 138th day of the year, according to Action News Jax records.

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According to JSO’s transparency page, there have been a total of 52 homicides so far this year, which compares to 75 this time last year.

JSO is asking anyone who has information on the shooting to contact them at 904-630-0500 or email them at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org.