JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) has unveiled new images of the victim’s bullet-riddled car, while the victim fights for his life at the hospital Wednesday afternoon.
The only substantial lead that JSO has at the moment is a potential suspect vehicle description.
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Witnesses reported seeing a red car leaving the scene, though one person mentioned it might have appeared more orange. Regardless, they emphasized that the vehicle was speeding away shortly after the gunfire erupted, leaving many residents on edge.
Approximately 70 shell casings littered the pavement of a Highlands neighborhood where a man narrowly escaped death.
An unidentified neighbor shared their shock, saying, “To see somebody mowed down here in broad daylight at 8 in the morning is a shock.”
At approximately 9:00 a.m. at the junction of Bucknell Avenue and Rutgers Road, an unidentified person fired rounds at the victim’s Cadillac, resulting in a barrage of bullets penetrating the vehicle’s driver’s side.
Another neighbor recounted the traumatic scene, stating, “The guy was in there, sitting in the driver’s seat, the car was still running, he laid over bleeding, and I don’t know how many times he was shot.”
Police stated that the victim sustained gunshot wounds to the chest and head, requiring life-threatening injury surgery.
A concerned neighbor who preferred to remain anonymous for fear of his safety said he heard shots and then screaming, and went over to his car.
“It sounded like an air hose, it was like a ‘psssssh,’ those bullets had to go down the street, kids play in the street there’s people in their hour. I don’t know if anything was hit but it be a miracle with this many shots,” the neighbor told Action News Jax.
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Ronnesha Roberson, another resident, stated “I was panicking, but I was looking out my window to make sure it wasn’t coming through my window.”
Authorities are uncertain about the number of suspects involved, but witnesses reported a red sedan fleeing the area.
Another fearful neighbor stated, “If word gets out that witnesses saw it, will they come back and spray houses up? I just don’t know because, like I said, they obviously wanted him dead. That wasn’t a warning shot. They wanted to make sure he was dead.”
As the investigation continues, we are awaiting updates on the victim’s condition.
The Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and assist with the ongoing investigation by contacting 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 888-277-TIPS (8477).
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