JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than 50 people living inside Normandy Estates came to support the Rico family, and to raise their voices against violent crime on the west side. Teodoro Rico was shot and killed Sunday night during an attempted robbery.
"It's a father, a son, a husband, a friend that's gone away. Next time, it could be me, it could be anybody else," said neighbor Anna Sandoval.
Sandoval said multiple times, she's seen people breaking through a fence to get into the property. "Every time we ask them 'who are you?' They jump the fence back and start running. It's not secure anymore," said Sandoval.
She and her neighbors say they are demanding security in their complex.
"I don't see where it is; obviously it's not here," said Sandoval.
Action News was kicked off the property earlier Monday, so we tried calling the complex managers to see what security they have in place. No one answered our call.
We reached out to the executive director of First Coast Crime Stoppers, Wyllie Hodges, to see what can be done when crime seems to be nonstop. He said officers can't be everywhere all the time, and said the community has to step up and report what they know.
"Because these people, if they're out there murdering, they'll murder again. And we got to get them off the street," said Hodges.
Hodges said he knows people often won't report crimes for fear of retaliation, but he said that's no excuse, because you can report crimes anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
"We have to raise our voice and tell what's going on," said Sandoval.
Action News checked into crime statistics in that neighborhood. A crime map shows there were at least five burglaries, at least two robberies and at least six assaults in a quarter-mile radius of Normandy Estates. The statistics were taken from the first of the year to present time.
Neighbors say there is a community meeting set for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. They say Sunday's murder will be discussed and police may be present.
WJAX
