One shooting on Sunday left a 21-year-old man dead, as Jacksonville Beach Police Chief Gene Paul Smith said that one suspect is a “certified gang member” Monday.
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The Jacksonville Beach Police Department provided new information to Sunday’s “active shooter incident” Monday morning in a news conference. Police Chief Gene Paul Smith says there were three separate, unrelated shootings that left one person dead and two others injured on St. Patrick’s Day.
Smith told First Coast News that earlier in the day Sunday, there was a group of 250 to 400 juveniles in their late teenage years, under the pier and engaged in boxing matches, fights and other incidents. The police chief said when police units dispersed the crowd, that’s when the shootings happened. He said “roadways were packed.”
Smith said that the shootings being labeled as unrelated to each other, may change as investigative efforts continue.
The first shooting happened at 7:50 p.m. near the Best Western hotel, located at 305 1st St. North, according to Smith. Three people were shot in which two were transported by medical first responders, while the other person took themself to Mayo Clinic, then was later transported to UF Health, police say. Smith said two people shot at each other and an “innocent bystander” was struck three times by gunfire. The two people who shot at each other are in serious condition, police say, as one is stable. The bystander who was visiting from out-of-town, according to Smith, is in serious condition as well.
One person shot in the first shooting, excluding the bystander, is a “certified gang member through the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office,” Smith said.
In the second shooting that occurred at 8:13 p.m., Smith said officers saw a male run by a bar with a pistol and fire a shot. A chase ensued, according to Smith, but the suspect eluded officers as no one was hit by gunfire.
Officers responded to the third shooting which happened behind Sneakers Sports Grille at 8:31 p.m., according to Smith. Police say a 21-year-old Black male died after “some kind of disturbance” occurred. Witnesses told police three Black males presented firearms, as only one person shot their gun.
At 8:34 p.m., Smith said all crime scene investigators, detectives, swat team members and command staff responded to the scenes of the shootings. In addition, Mayor Christine Hoffman and Jacksonville Beach City Managers Mike Staffopoulos responded to the scenes. Bars were on lockdown and the downtown area was evacuated, Smith said. As of Monday morning, all scenes have been cleared.
Smith said multiple shell casings from pistol and rifle-caliber weapons and two firearms were recovered after the shootings.
“We will take anything we can get from social media,” Smith said, “[and] are reviewing multiple videotapes.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies joined the police department in responding to the shootings Sunday night, according to Smith.
