The United States saw a surge in gun violence over the Christmas holiday, an occurrence that has become disturbingly familiar in recent years. In Palatka, Florida, a deadly shooting on Christmas night resulted in two fatalities and one person critically injured. The News4JAX reported that the incident was part of a broader pattern of holiday shootings nationwide.
During the holiday, fatal incidents were also recorded in cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, along with a shooting at a Phoenix airport that stemmed from a domestic dispute. According to First Coast News, the Palatka Police Department responded to a call at approximately 9:40 p.m. on Christmas night, where a crowd had gathered in a parking lot. There, they discovered three individuals had been shot, including 23-year-old Tyree Gilyard from Crescent City and 17-year-old Dorrion McKinnon from Palatka, who later succumbed to their injuries. The third victim, a 21-year-old man also from Crescent City, remains in critical condition.
Assistant Police Chief Matt Newcomb assured the local community of no immediate threat post-shooting, as reported by First Coast News. In a showing of community solidarity, Michelle Atkins encouraged those with information to come forward defining that "that's not snitching, this is a life." Atkins knew the mother of the teenage victim, Dorrion McKinnon, and her plea highlighted the ripple effects such violence has on a community.
In the aftermath, the Palatka Daily News, which also had its building caught in the line of fire, remained closed to foot traffic and expressed their condolences over the tragic losses. "We are saddened by the events which occurred on Christmas night that culminated in the vicinity of our building on St. Johns Avenue," said Publisher Jennifer Moates on First Coast News. There has been no immediate release of suspect information, and the investigation continues with calls for public help to aid in the resolution of the case. The 21-year-old victim, later identified as Dazail Dennis, is still in the hospital in critical condition, according to an Action News Jax report.
Tom Hackney former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Director of Investigations and now a News4JAX analyst, remarked on the recurring nature of holiday violence in Jacksonville, with similar incidents having occurred in preceding years. Hackney referenced a longing for peace that seems, especially during moments meant for tranquility, perpetually out of reach, "It’s just another day if they’re conducting business, but it’s another day that they don’t care. They don’t care about any of it. They don’t care about lives. They don’t care about people. They don’t care about bystanders," he lamented in a statement obtained by News4JAX.
