A witness who knows one of the men involved in Sunday’s shooting says he believes the man was trying to protect the neighborhood.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One man was killed and another was recovering in stable condition after a shooting on Jacksonville’s Westside. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the incident occurred Sunday near Longshore Boulevard and Plymouth Road.
On Monday, neighbors gathered outside their homes to discuss what they saw. One resident lives across the street from the shooting scene and next door to one of the men involved.
“It kind of freaks you out and everything because this is a good neighborhood,” resident Jason Abel said. “It’s real quiet and everything.”
Abel, who has lived in the area for nearly three years, said an argument began around 5:45 p.m. Sunday between his next-door neighbor and a homeless man outside a church across the street.
“He proceeded over there to the homeless guy,” Abel said. “And the homeless guy pulled a hatchet or some kind of camping ax out of a bag, and that’s when they started verbally going back and forth. Then they started hitting each other.”
Abel said the fight ended after his neighbor’s significant other intervened. He said his neighbor then walked back across the street toward home while the other man began leaving on a bicycle.
“He was riding off on his bike and he shot him in the back, and it was like one gunshot,” Abel said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has released few details and has not identified the people involved or said whether charges have been filed. Abel said he believes his neighbor was concerned about an unfamiliar person in the neighborhood.
“He’s always been protective of this part of the neighborhood,” Abel said.
Both men were taken to the hospital after the shooting. Abel said his neighbor underwent surgery and was in stable condition. The other man reportedly died from his injuries. The investigation remains ongoing, but JSO said it believes everyone involved has been detained and that there is no threat to the public.
