JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The three separate shootings at Jacksonville Beach Sunday night have left some people feeling uneasy while others hope people will continue coming to the beach to support the businesses.
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On Sunday night, a woman and her friend caught an Uber to leave Jacksonville Beach after the three shootings. She talked to News4JAX but wanted to remain anonymous. She was at a bar at the beaches when the first shooting happened.
“Around 7:40, 7:50-ish all of a sudden, they were like, patios closed, patios closed, everyone get inside,” the woman said.
This was around the same time a shooting happened on the boardwalk where two people shot each other and an innocent bystander was shot too. Another shooting happened at 8:13 p.m. and another at 8:31 p.m.
One person died and Jacksonville Beach Police Chief executed an “active shooter alert.”
Businesses were forced to lock down and then close early. The woman said she is staying away from the beaches for now.
“I think it’s always been a fear in the back of my mind, something like that happening,” the woman said.
One woman who has lived at the beach remains optimistic despite Sunday’s shootings.
“I think it’s an unfortunate time for businesses. Last night was one of the busiest nights for them to make some good money,” the woman said. “Our beaches get packed during the summer time and I think some people are still going to support us. I think some people are going to have fear, it’s going to depend on your life experiences.”
Police said all of the shootings happened outside in broad daylight.
Gene Paul Smith, the Jacksonville Beach Chief of Police, told media Monday morning that he has plans to continue keeping the beach safe, but he wouldn’t give details.
“We are intelligence-driven so first, I’m not going to tell you. I’m not going to give away my hand. I’d like for it to be a surprise and if you know me, I will be doing some things,” Smith said.
Though Jacksonville Beach is back to normal, an investigation continues, and police are searching for the shooters involved in these separate shootings that happened just blocks away from one another, in less than 40 minutes.
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