One dead, another injured, in Southside Blvd. early morning crash

A busy Jacksonville road was the scene of a deadly shooting early Monday morning.

Action News Jax spoke to a man who saw the scene of the crash moments after it happened.

“I heard like 12 shots pop off right off Southside," said Nick Swiatkowski, a college student living in the area. "Then we heard the noise from the two trees getting crashed into.”

Swiatkowski got in late from a movie on Monday morning around 1:40 a.m.

Moments later his roommate told him something was going on outside.

“We heard some guy yelling 'help,'" said Swiatkowski. "So we went looked outside saw there was an accident so we called the police,”  said Swiatkowski.

There they found the crash scene of this deadly drive-by shooting on Southside Boulevard. Investigators tell Action News Jax the car was traveling south on Southside Boulevard when it came under gunfire. JFRD pronounced a one man dead at the scene.

“The car went over two medians and crashed into two trees," he said. "And then fell into the ditch in our front driveway."

Investigators tell us an unknown person took the driver of the car to Memorial hospital.

According to reports he suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. Swiatkowski says the scenario didn’t seem like reality.

“We woke up this morning talking about it like, oh, that felt like dreamish,” said Swiatkowski.

Neighbors tell us the neighborhood is peaceful and home to many retirees. Some are having a tough time processing how and why a fatal shooting happened there. Audry Ruscyk mistook the sounds of gunfire for fireworks.

“I figured Fourth of July coming, it's fireworks." said Ruscyk.  "So I turned around and went right back to sleep.”

Ruscyzk was surprised to learn of the deadly shooting this morning. It happened just a few hundred yards from where she sleeps. A similar shooting happened near the Town Center about two weeks ago, claiming the lives of three and leaving one injured.

Action News Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson tells us it’s too early to know if they're related.

“It’s all speculative right now," said Jefferson. "But this sort of thing doesn’t really randomly happen. People don’t just ride by, pull out a gun and shoot someone unless they know who their target is and who the person in the car is that they’re trying to hit.”

A JSO Crime Map search of the area revealed nearly 70 reports in the last 180 days.

Lisa Macintyre says it will be a little harder to fall asleep tonight.

“And yes it does bother me that it’s right down the street," said Macintyre. "That makes me a little nervous.”

Investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward. You're encouraged to reach out to Crime Stoppers or JSO.

Cox Media Group