JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is still looking for two men they said fired a hail of bullets at a large group of people. The department needed 70 evidence markers to chart all the shell casings.
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A woman who wanted to protect her identity talked about the chaos on 4th Street and Campus Avenue that happened on Tuesday.
That neighbor, along with her grandchildren, hit the floor as the shots erupted. She also says she saw people gathered peacefully but had no idea a shooting would happen.
“Lived here for 33 years,” the woman said. “It happens around the neighborhood -- we hear the guns over there on the other side of Soutel.”
According to JSO, three people were shot during a gathering of over 100 people for a “celebration of life” event for someone who passed away.
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As the event was wrapping up, two men dressed in all black approached the area and began firing at the crowd.
The woman, who lives just steps away from where the shootings started, was surprised that something like this happened in her neighborhood.
“The very first shot, I thought it was fireworks, you know because it was a party, she said. “And then you realize it wasn’t fireworks, it was a large caliber gun.”
The woman, who witnessed what was happening, says multiple people came running through her yard trying to avoid the gunfire.
She says she has three grandchildren that live with her. The youngest is a year old.
“We went into the kitchen and got down on the floor,” she said. “They were scared.”
The fear and terror of what was happening were on full display. She says her husband decided to do whatever it took to protect them.
“My husband hunts and he was loading up his gun, she said.
She says this incident hit really close to home, especially after a shell casing was found in her yard.
“The police did, they came down here, we were still scared to walk out,” she said.
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JSO is still looking for those two suspects and is asking anyone with information to please call 904-630-0500. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS (8477).
