The Jacksonville community is dealing with the aftermath of a violent incident, as the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) investigates a double homicide that took place on Sawpit Road. Late Friday night, a call came in around 10 p.m. leading officers to the 15000 block where they discovered two individuals shot to death on a dirt road.
Upon arrival at the scene near the Betz-Tiger Preserve, officers found a man and a woman, both believed to be in their 50s, unresponsive. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department pronounced the victims dead at the scene, as noted in a report by Action News Jax. In an attempt to swiftly gather information, JSO has detained several people for questioning, though the relationship between those involved along with the motive has not yet been made clear.
As announced by JSO, the man and woman have not been publicly identified, sparking a deeper slew of questions and concerns within the community. "We have several people detained and they have been transported to the Police Memorial Building to be interviewed," JSO Sergeant Steve Rudlaff stated in an interview obtained by First Coast News. "At this time, we don’t know the circumstances of the incident or the relationships of those involved. We do know some type of altercation did take place."
The homicide and crime scene units from the JSO are currently leading the investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. Even as the detectives continue to unravel the sequence of events that culminated in this tragedy, the police assert this was an isolated incident. There is "no additional threat to the community," JSO Sergeant Rudlaff explained, aiming to alleviate any wider public safety concerns. This claim was echoed in a separate report by News4Jax, which also confirmed the isolated nature of the shooting.
JSO continues to urge anyone with information related to the incident to come forward. Tips can be submitted by calling the JSO non-emergency number at 904-630-0500, by emailing [email protected], or by contacting Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-866-845-TIPS.
