Several shootings in March prompted a community meeting with council members, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and pastors Thursday night.
“Instead of pulling fists, now they pull guns,” Assistant Chief Mark Romano said.
He said there’s beef before two groups of people which has led to the string of shootings.
“Something got put out on social media before any of that stuff happened. Nobody called police,” he told a group of neighbors and community leaders. “Trust us to take that information and squash this thing.”
On Mar. 1, there was a shooting that hurt a 16-year-old in a parking lot across from First Coast High School.
Police said the victim was driven to the 12300 block of Deersong Drive, the same area where a house was shot up last Wednesday.
“The street was blocked off by police and there must have been 20 to 25 police cars with their lights on, crime tape around the house,” a neighbor told Action News Jax anonymously.
According to the police report, the house was shot at around 2:30 Wednesday morning with six people inside.
A resident inside, “told them to lie down on the floor and get under their beds.”
Police said they found at least 11 bullet holes in the front of the house and through the windows.
Nobody was hurt, but there’s no suspect information.
“I’m fearful any of our houses could be shot up or any of us could be shot — that’s why I want to stay anonymous. I don’t want my name or face. I’m fearful,” a neighbor said.
Another shooting happened on Lanier Road that killed a teen on Tuesday, less than 12 hours before shots were fired on Deersong Drive.
Romano said it’s not gang-related. But Councilmember Reggie Gaffney, who coordinated the meeting, said he’s concerned with a recent spike in the size of gangs.
He told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant that they have grown in numbers over the past approximately five months.
“The sheriff’s department is aware of all this — but often they get there too late because it’s a moving target with gangs,” he said. “People are hurting. People are tired of all this shooting. Enough is enough.”
He is combining $150,000 from his budget with $183,000 from Council President Sam Newby’s budget to provide up to $20,000 to smaller non-profits devoted to fighting crime.
He intends on hosting a meeting with Sheriff Mike Williams and Mayor Lenny Curry to continue the conversation about fighting crime.