Man killed overnight at Calloway Cove; 4th dead there this week

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – Police said a man in his 20s was shot and killed at Calloway Cove Apartments around 11 pm on Friday night – it’s the same complex on Moncrief Road where the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office found three people shot and killed four days ago.

No witnesses appeared in Friday’s deadly shooting and police did not release many details.

News4Jax tried to talk to residents of the area about crime in the complex, and one said he didn’t think policing was the right answer, but was nervous about the number of shootings in the apartments.

Another said that more lighting is needed in the complex to see who is coming and going.

After two men and a woman were found shot to death at a compound unit on Tuesday morning, the police arrested four teenagers whom the police chased after they fled the scene.

Ads

Police said the gang heard shots on Tuesday and then saw the car take off. The driver of the stolen vehicle – a 14-year-old girl – led the authorities in a nearly three-mile chase that ended when a policeman hit their car in a PIT maneuver. Inside the car were three guns, the police said.

Keon Lester, 18, along with two 17-year-olds and one 14-year-old are charged with murder and conspiracy to commit theft. The State Prosecutor’s Office must prosecute all suspects as adults.

The police referred to the apartment where two 30-year-olds and one 27-year-old were found dead as a “drug den” where they found more than 100 oxycodone tablets, a large ball of white powdery substance and a large amount of cash.

The area has been fighting violent crime for years. Six years ago, the City Council said 4229 Moncrief Road is one of the best places in the city where you would likely fall victim to a violent crime.

Ads

“It is sad because, at the moment, it is just a dead end situation,” said a man who told News4Jax that he is not surprised by the violence. “Why not put a police substation right in there?”

The man said the age of the people involved in these crimes has a lot to do with their influence.

“This, in my opinion, comes from a single family, because everyone is a follower now,” said the man.

News4Jax crime and security expert Ken Jefferson, who grew up at Calloway Cove Apartments, said crimes like these existed and will remain there unless city leaders speak out.

“There are crimes throughout Duval County, but in this particular area, it seems to resonate over the years,” said Jefferson. “For more than 30 years he has been plagued by violence. So, until the city leaders arrive at the Sheriff’s Office, they reach the community and everyone gets involved, this will continue. ”

Jefferson said that the ages don’t surprise him because he said that crime does not discriminate, but more can be done to eliminate the problem in the apartments.

Ads

“Four people killed – what is there to discover? You found drugs, found a lot of money, found weapons in a car that fled the scene. What is there to discover? There is nothing to find out except let’s go to work, ”said Jefferson.

News4Jax contacted the member of the City Council representing the Calloway Cove district, as well as the owner of the complex. We haven’t heard from them yet.

All five murders in Jacksonville this week occurred at CEP 32209: four at Calloway Cove and one at Iris Boulevard, just three blocks away.