Mayor Lenny Curry responds to recent shootings, other violence in Durkeeville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In the past week, eight shootings have hit our streets in Jacksonville.

Half  of those shootings happened in the Durkeeville area.

Preston Bookman Jr. says he knows Durkeeville well and the crime that goes along with it.

"That's what it is -- the drugs and the gangs. The first thing they want to do is resort to violence with guns and they want to kill you," Bookman said.

There have been four shootings in Durkeeville in less than a week.

On Wednesday morning, a man was shot in the leg on West 17th Street.

He's expected to survive.

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On Sunday a man was shot and killed at a Sunoco gas station on Kings Road.

There were also two shootings on 5th Street near Barnett Street.

One man died and two other people were hurt.

Action News Jax asked Mayor Lenny Curry what's being done in these neighborhoods to cut down on violent crime.

He told us that's why the city is investing in things like ShotSpotter and Cure Violence.

"I know that JSO and the sheriff, you know, will order patrol times based on hot spots, if you will, and I know that we are using Cure Violence as a pilot in a few parts in town and will  be examining the expansion of that pilot," Curry said.

JSO has also been hiring more police officers to keep people safer, but Ben Frazier with the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville said that's not enough in neighborhoods like Durkeeville.

"Let's start providing jobs. We got to spend money. If we can spend it downtown for parking lots and bridges, then we need to begin to spend it on the people who are catching hell in 32209 and 32206," Frazier said.

There have been 100 homicidesin Jacksonville this year alone, according to JSO's transparency page.

Police say they need neighbors to speak up so families can get closure.

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