JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An Action News Jax investigation is examining a disturbing pattern in Jacksonville’s gun violence, and how it is affecting children.
New hospital claims data shows three Jacksonville ZIP codes rank among the highest in Florida for gunshot injuries involving children 18 and under. Investigator Yona Gavino takes us inside the data and the human stories behind it.
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Action News Jax dug through the numbers, ZIP code by ZIP code, to see what those numbers reveal about our community. But these are not just numbers.
They are the faces of children and the mothers who want you to remember their names.
‘The murder of my son really fuels my fight’
This is Jacksonville. But not the Jacksonville you always see.
Next to boarded-up buildings and worn-out streets are tough neighborhoods shouldering a community’s pain.
“The murder of my son really fuels my fight,” Latasha Hobbs, mother of Maurice Hobbs, said.
Inside one home sit five mothers of murdered sons. Each mom wears her child’s name in ink, and two keep their sons’ ashes next to their hearts.
“I chose to cremate Isaiah because I didn’t want to go to a cemetery and sit there and cry,” Shantell Bing, mother of Isaiah Bing, said.
Their sons were adults when they were killed. But new numbers show that same violence is reaching Jacksonville’s youngest.
What the data shows
Hospital claims data obtained exclusively by KFF Health News and The Trace tracks firearm injuries to children under 18. The children were treated at Florida hospitals from 2018 through 2024, and the data captures the ZIP codes where those patients lived.
Three Jacksonville ZIP codes stand out: 32208, 32209 and 32210.
ZIP code 32209 recorded 79 gunshot wounds among children 18 and under — the highest raw number of the three. ZIP code 32208 recorded 46, and ZIP code 32210 recorded 34.
That’s 159 children 18 and under treated for gunshot wounds across just these three Jacksonville ZIP codes from 2018 through 2024.
‘Taken away for nothing’
These are the faces and families of some of the youngest victims.
Two-year-old A’hmari Robinson was killed in a domestic dispute this past March. It happened in ZIP code 32205, not far from the top three. Statistics show 17 gun violence incidents involving children in that ZIP code over the tracked period.
“He needs to be in the chair. You took my sister’s — you took her heartbeat,” a family member said of A’hmari Robinson’s alleged killer.
Thirteen-year-old Prince Holland was shot and killed on his way home from football tryouts in ZIP code 32209.
“I can’t hug my baby. I can’t even kiss my baby goodnight,” Prince Holland’s mother said.
Seven-year-old Breon Allen was caught between two rival street gangs in ZIP code 32209.
“I had such high expectations for my child. And he was just taken away for nothing,” Breon Allen’s mother said.
‘I can feel his spirit’
Breon’s old neighborhood still holds his memory.
These streets tell a story that’s far bigger than a map. It’s about milestones that’ll never happen, and children who should still be here. The data shows where the problem is most concentrated, but the heartbreak is felt throughout Jacksonville.
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Yvonne Fields’ 18-year-old son, Rashaud Fields, was killed hours after high school graduation.
“I know he’s not coming back, but I can feel his spirit. I feel his spirit all over me, every day,” said Yvonne Fields, Rashaud’s mother.
He was killed in ZIP code 32218, a ZIP code that saw 23 juvenile gunshot victims.
Death can’t take ‘the love I have for my son’
Every number has a name.
“They aren’t just statistics,” said Crystal Anlage, mother of Jaquez Anlage.
Rose Devoe, mother of Gabriel Devoe, gathered the mothers under her roof.
“There is one thing that death can never take. That grief can never steal. And that is the love I have for my son,” Devoe said.
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Beneath every changing sky, they carry a love that never fades.
“We had no idea, hours from that time we would become what I call an angel mom, and they hold a very special place in my heart,” Devoe said.
The five moms Action News Jax spoke with are still waiting for justice. They’re back in their communities, pushing for answers and keeping their sons’ names alive.
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