A man in his 30s was shot in the leg early Saturday while walking to a convenience store near Kings Road in Northwest Jacksonville, and police are now searching for a teenage suspect who fled on foot after the attack. Officers responded to the 1300 block of Barnett Street at approximately 6:30 a.m. following the shooting, which investigators believe was an isolated incident.
According to Action News Jax, an unknown male approached the victim and told him to “tighten up” before shooting him and running off. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue transported the victim to a local hospital, where police said his injuries were non-life-threatening. The suspect is described only as a Black male around 16 years old with a thin build, and no arrest had been made as of the report.
A Corner With a Violent History
The stretch of Barnett Street near Kings Road has seen repeated violence in recent years. Just this April, a 44-year-old man was shot and killed on Barnett Street near James Small Park after the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's ShotSpotter system alerted officers to gunfire in the area, the station's report on that earlier case notes. In June 2025, JSO sought public help identifying a suspect who robbed a victim at knifepoint around 1 a.m. on Barnett Street near Kings Road, and back in October 2019, two men were shot outside a gas station at that same intersection.
The corner has also drawn police attention for non-shooting incidents. In August 2023, a stolen vehicle driven by suspects between 9 and 14 years old crashed and burst into flames near a gas station at Kings Road and Barnett Street during a JSO pursuit, according to a separate News4JAX report. Taken together, the incidents paint a picture of a single block that has repeatedly drawn violent crime and police response over the past several years.
Citywide Numbers Tell a Mixed Story
The shooting comes as Jacksonville officials point to overall declines in violent crime even as neighborhood-level incidents continue to worry residents. Jacksonville had recorded 35 murders year-to-date as of mid-August, according to data tracked on the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Transparency Portal. Sheriff T.K. Waters told residents at a July town hall that citywide violent crime had fallen 7.7% compared to the same period in 2025, even as he acknowledged concern over recent shootings, according to Action News Jax.
If the suspect is identified as roughly 16 years old, Florida law would put him in violation of firearm possession restrictions well before any charges tied to the shooting itself are considered. Florida Statutes § 790.22 makes it unlawful for anyone under 18 to possess a firearm outside narrow exceptions like supervised hunting or marksmanship competitions, per the Florida Senate. Separately, committing a battery with a deadly weapon is classified as aggravated battery under Florida Statutes § 784.045, a second-degree felony carrying up to 15 years in state prison, according to state law.
Community Advocates Push for Investment
Neighborhood activists in Northwest Jacksonville have for years called for greater economic investment and community programming near Kings Road and Barnett Street as a way to address the underlying conditions fueling violent crime, per a First Coast News report. That advocacy has continued even as isolated shootings like Saturday's keep drawing police back to the same corridor.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email [email protected]. Tipsters can also remain anonymous through First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS, which offers cash rewards of up to $3,000 for information leading to an arrest in Jacksonville felony cases.
