18-year-old charged in murder of 17-year-old found fatally shot on sidewalk in Murray Hill

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Days after a 17-year-old was killed in a shooting in the Murray Hill neighborhood, police announced the arrest of an 18-year-old in the murder case.

Police say Josef D. Madison is the person who pulled the trigger on Tuesday, hitting Blaise Conner multiple times.

Conner was found on the sidewalk in front of Murray Hill Baptist Church on Post Street near Dancy Street around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. He died at the scene.

Investigators said they identified Madison as the shooter and he was found Thursday and charged with murder.

The police have not said what led up to the shooting, but multiple sources say it involved a fight between the teens earlier in the day.

News4JAX Crime and Safety expert, Tom Hackney, said the increase in deadly shootings is concerning, especially with the youth.

“It seems like if this was in relation to a fight and this fight ended up with somebody being shot, that’s an extreme measure obviously and you don’t want anything like that to happen… and it’s frightening that it happens in a neighborhood with houses very close by,” Hackney said.