Jacksonville police spent Thursday morning combing a Southside neighborhood after a reported shooting on the 5500 block of Barnes Road South near University Boulevard, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials are keeping a tight lid on details so far and have not said if anyone was hit or whether they are looking for a suspect.
News4JAX reports that deputies were called to the scene but that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office declined to share more information while the investigation was still unfolding, saying additional details would be released when available.
Barnes Road corridor on edge after holiday ambush
Residents along Barnes Road have had little time to relax lately. The corridor has been the backdrop for multiple shootings in recent weeks, heightening anxiety for people who live and work nearby.
On July 4, four masked gunmen ambushed and wounded a man outside an apartment complex on Barnes Road South, an attack that was detailed in July 4 ambush coverage that flagged the incident as part of a troubling pattern along the Southside stretch of the roadway.
Calls log shows late-night shots before latest report
Public records suggest Thursday’s investigation did not come out of nowhere. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office maintains an online calls log that listed several shooting-related dispatches in the Barnes Road area in the hours leading up to the latest report.
Among them was a “discharging of firearm” call on Barnes Road South near Knights Lane shortly before midnight Wednesday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information about recent shootings in the area is urged to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office tip line. Local reporting notes that tips can be submitted by phone at 904-630-0500, by email at [email protected], or anonymously through Crime Stoppers, contact details that appeared in earlier coverage from Action News Jax.
Detectives were canvassing the neighborhood Thursday as the investigation continued, with officials saying more information would be released when they are ready to talk. This story will be updated as the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office provides new details.
