‘She was a shining star;’ Community looks to keep names of San Marco shooting victims alive

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The San Marco shooting from last week remains a mystery. It took the lives of two people and today, the community wants to keep their names alive.

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The two victims were identified as Paige Pringle and Tara Baker.

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One of Pringle’s best friends says he wants to keep this story relevant to help find justice for his friend. Pringle was a bartender in San Marco and more recently one at Dos Gatos in downtown Jacksonville.

“She was a shining star,” Pringle’s friend, Liam Kiernan said. “And, she’s going to be missed.”

RELATED STORY: ‘Who would want to do this?:’ Beloved bartender one of two women killed in San Marco shooting

Kiernan and Pringle met at Town Hall Jax through work. While they’ve only known each other for about two years, he says they quickly became best friends.

“She was one of those people with a laugh that could brighten any room,” Kiernan said. He added on to say, “I mean, everyone just gravitated towards her.”

Kiernan says Pringle had a bright future -- she loved to paint and had plans to make that a career.

“She was maybe even looking into, you know, running galleries here, starting locally,” Kiernan said.

Pringle’s murder has devastated the San Marco community.

Last Wednesday around 1:30 a.m., Pringle and Tara Baker were shot and killed. Someone shot Pringle multiple times, and a short time later shot Baker.

RELATED STORY: Planning to get married that day, second woman identified in San Marco double shooting

Now, detectives are looking for answers. But they need the community’s help.

“The further it goes, the harder it is, for investigators,” Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police President Randy Reaves said. “That’s why it’s so important here in the weeks and days, right after something like this happens that were able to keep this keep this relevant.”

Earlier this week, the FOP of Jacksonville raised the Crime Stoppers’ award from $3,000 to $13,000. Reaves says he wants to increase awareness about this murder case.

RELATED STORY: JSO increases reward in search for suspects in last week’s San Marco double murder case

“If we don’t have a motive and we can’t figure out who that person is, it’s going to come them down to eyewitness account or somebody that saw something maybe earlier that night or in that area of a car driving fast,” Reaves said.

Reaves adds on to say it’s important for the community to stay engaged. He hopes the reward encourages Jacksonville to speak up.

If you know something, call JSO at (904) 630-0500, or call the Crime Stoppers hotline at (866) 845-TIPS.

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There will be a Celebration of Life for Paige Pringle on Monday, Aug. 28th. Bands will be performing at Underbelly in downtown Jacksonville. Doors will open at 5 p.m. All the proceeds from the door, raffle and silent auction will benefit her family. You can find more details by clicking here.

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