JSO: $10,000 reward offered for arrest of 7-year-old's killer

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PHOTO GALLERY: 7-year-old shot, killed in Jacksonville

Monday 1:30 p.m. update: A $10,000 reward is being offered for information about the person who shot and killed a 7-year-old boy in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said the boy was caught in crossfire outside a home on Mt. Herman Street.

Williams said several people were drinking and smoking marijuana in a front yard when a gray SUV pulled up to the home.

Someone inside the SUV began firing, and someone in the yard grabbed a gun and started shooting back, Williams said.

Williams said it appears Tashawn Gallon, 7, was between the two groups shootings at each other.

He and a 23-year-old man were hurt. Williams said the 23-year-old fled the area after the shooting and brought himself to UF Health Jacksonville. He is not cooperating with police, Williams said.

He was arrested on an outstanding warrant and for possession of firearm by a convicted felon, Williams said.

Several witnesses are not cooperating in the investigation, Williams said. He said the sheriff's office will pursue charges if they give false information or inhibit the investigation.

"There is someone on the street today that is responsible for the shooting death of a 7-year-old boy," Williams said. "I can promise you we'll move heaven and earth and kick in doors to bring him justice."

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest in Tashawn's death.

"Senseless violence resulted in the loss of his life," Mayor Lenny Curry said at the Monday press conference. "He will not have opportunities to pursue the dreams every child should be able to do."

Anyone with information about the double shooting is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.

To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward up to $3,000 contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

The child killed in a double shooting Sunday night has been identified as Tashawn Gallon, 7, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.

Police say Tashawn was playing outside a home on Mt. Herman Street when bullets sprayed from a passing by SUV. Avery Spellman, who lives right down the road, tells Action News Jax he heard nine gunshots around 9 p.m.

“To take a human being life, a child that's 7 years old, that's beyond wrong," Spellman said. "They need to be put away.”

JSO is hoping recently installed equipment will deter crime.

In July, the department launched shot-spotter sensors that hear gunfire and immediately alert officers.

Investigators say a sensor within a five-mile radius of the shooting was activated Sunday night, but a neighbor also called 911. Spellman believes it’s going to take more than just the sensors to cut down on crime.

“Every other day is a crime," Spellman said. "You know, senseless murders, people robbing people, people killing people, all the drugs being sold in the area. There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be done.”

The two victims were taken to the hospital for medical treatment. The 7-year-old died of his injuries at the hospital.

The other victim, a 23-year-old male, is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.

This is the fifth child hurt in shootings in Jacksonville of 2018, and the first deadly shooting involving a child, said JSO.

Detectives are speaking to witnesses and investigating multiple scenes in the neighborhood at this time.

Authorities believe the gunfire came from a vehicle described as possibly a dark, gray SUV. Police believe the shooting was targeted. They do not believe Gallon was the intended victim.

Cox Media Group