Shootings in Jacksonville surpass last years total

JACKSONVILE, Fla — Shootings in Jacksonville have surpassed last years total. Action News Jax records show there’s been 370 so far this year, compared to 367 last year. With every shooting comes a family who is forced to deal with the consequences, many of which are still working to find closure everyday.

One victim of gun violence was Sylvester Jenkins.

“He was very much loved, very much cared for,” his mother said.

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Jenkins was found dead back on August 6, his mother Kanekia Hughes said he was shot to death and his car was found burned 30 miles away from his home on West 22nd street. A police report said the burglar bar door and front door of his home were unlocked. Officers found blood in the living room area and under a bedroom door where he was found.

“I really do believe it was sensless,” she said. “He would run from drama, hated confrontation.”

Hughes said at for a while, he had aspirations of becoming a model and went to school in California for it.

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His death is one of 126 criminal homicides on the year in Jacksonville, according to JSO data; that’s also more than last years total.

AJ Jordan with MAD Dads Jacksonville Chapter believes in order to get these types of numbers down, the community needs to be proactive rather than reactive.

“The community wants to see more people engage, knocking on doors,” he said. “You have to have different things to engage with kids so they can deal with anger in a positive way because you can deal with it in a positive way without using a knife or a gun.”

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Between more shootings and homicides, Hughes says it leaves a lasting, haunting impact on her and her family.

“I don’t know what happened to him, I dont know why it happened, we don’t know who,” she said. “I wont rest at night until I get closure and I don’t even think finding the murderer will really bring closure.”

Action News Jax did reach out to JSO for more context regarding all the shootings but haven’t heard back by the time our story aired.

Jenkins’ case is still unsolved and theres an $8,000 reward to help lead to an arrest. If you know something about that shooting, call JSO or Crime Stoppers.

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