JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the search continues for the killer of 11-month-old Tedashi Williams, his mother Kadejah Williams, 22, and 18-year-old Xacia Burnem, the call for a community response continues to grow.
Action News Jax Anchor Cole Heath asked Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry about the resources they’ve pledged in the past to prevent murders like this.
"I will tell you when I got the news last night, I continue to be mad as hell. This has to stop," Curry said.
"Our goal today is to bring some justice to this case and we are working hard to do it," Williams said.
Curry told Action News Jax his budget is helping put more cops on the street as promised, while Williams said the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is focused on stopping devastating crimes like this murder.
“It would be an understatement to call last night a setback, last night is more a tragedy,” Williams said.
“The last two budget cycles added police […] because I’m told they were needed, and clearly those resources were decimated by previous budgets,” Curry said.
In January, the mayor pledged $500,000 to pay for extra hours for police after JSO said 22-month-old Aiden McClendon died in a gang-related shooting.
Aiden McClendon (shown above) was killed in a gang-related drive-by shooting in January 2016.
Then in February, Williams announced $1 million dollars in overtime, and established a Violent Crimes Task Force.
Nearly a year later, 11-month-old Tedashi Williams, his mom Kadejah and 18-year-old Burnem were shot and killed near the Cleveland Arms Apartments. That’s Councilman Reggie Brown’s district.
“The responsibility starts in the community, starts with community and starts with community policing,” Brown, who represents District 10, said.
Monday, activist LJ Holloway met with neighbors at Cleveland Arms.
Her goal: teach community policing, to possibly prevent future tragedies like little Tedashi’s murder before they happen.
“We have to teach the residents how to organize and police themselves,” Holloway said, “We have to teach them to get burner phones and when [they] hear arguments, that is the time to squash it.”