JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is searching for a juvenile suspect after police said a 12-year-old boy was shot at a Moncrief park Sunday night.
Investigators said the shooting happened at Clanzel T. Brown Park after a dispute involving children escalated into gunfire.
According to police, children had gathered at the park when a fight broke out. Investigators said one group left the area and later returned. That’s when shots were fired, striking a 12-year-old boy in the leg.
The child is expected to recover.
The shooting has prompted renewed calls from city leaders and law enforcement for parents and guardians to keep a closer watch on children while school is out for the summer.
“I think the parents and grandparents need to do a better job managing their children. Not at 9 o’clock at night,” Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman said.
Pittman, who represents the area, said the city has invested in resources and organized activities for children on Jacksonville’s Northside. She pointed to amenities at Clanzel T. Brown Park, including cameras, a covered basketball court, a pool, baseball and tennis facilities, and planned improvements to the nearby golf course.
“I think we’ve done all we can,” Pittman said.
Edwin Cayenne, Director of Investigations and homeland security for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, said it’s not unusual to see crime increase during the summer months when students are out of school.
“Usually, crime starts to trend a little bit when school is out because from that point accountability now takes over and it’s got to go back to parenting,” Cayenne said.
Cayenne also said the sheriff’s office has noticed an increase in shootings involving people who know one another. He said investigators work to identify trends and intervene before violence escalates, including monitoring activity on social media.
The shooting also raised concerns about how juveniles gain access to firearms.
“When these individuals, one, who are underage, and two, didn’t legally purchase these weapons, get access to these weapons, these are the results,” Cayenne said.
Despite the shooting, Pittman said she does not want residents to view Clanzel T. Brown Park as unsafe.
“I don’t want this one incident for people to think this park is not safe because it is,” Pittman said. “We have all the infrastructure in to ensure that this park is safe.”
Police have not announced any arrests. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said detectives are looking for a black male in his late teens who was last seen wearing dark clothing.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers.
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