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At the start of December, a musician tragically lost his life in a road rage shooting.
In Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday, a gathering of family and friends took place to honor and remember a man whose life revolved around music.
Joe Starkey, the victim of the fatal road rage incident, was commemorated in a heartfelt memorial service.
“Thanks to all of you, my dad is getting the send-off befitting the rockstar he truly was,” expressed Damien Starkey, Joe’s son, addressing the assembled crowd.
Joe may not have kept his hair as voluminous as it was during the 80s, but his passion for creating and performing music remained as strong as ever.
The musician spent 40 years as a part of the Jacksonville music scene before he was killed.
“No matter how much pain he was in, no matter how tired he was, he was always working tirelessly,” said one musician who recently joined a band with Joe. “Three days before he passed, he said some of the kindest things anyone has ever said to me.”
Musician after musician shared stories about working with Joe in the many different bands he played in.
“He had his foot up on the monitor and he was just belting it out,” said Alfredo, a musician who played with Joe throughout the years. “That dude is good. That dude can sing.”
Not all the memories were music related — in fact, one fellow musician even recalled a time Joe turned into a hero.
“I swear, Joe pulled a fire extinguisher out of his pocket, because I didn’t think we had a fire extinguisher, but he did,” said Bobby, a musician who recalled a time Joe helped put out a fire at a neighbor’s home during a rehearsal. “Her whole stove was a hot flame, but they put the fire out.”
Between all the crazy band stories and tales of Starkey’s adventures working in the military and construction, the other recurring theme was calling for an arrest in the case.
The family’s attorney said a car drove erratically while harassing Joe and his wife as they drove home from dinner on St. Johns Bluff Road.
The attorney said Joe stopped the car and got out to ask the other driver what the issue was, when the other driver shot him.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigators say the suspected shooter in the road rage incident turned himself in and was interviewed by detectives, but there still aren’t any arrests in the case.
“It may take time, but it doesn’t matter because we’re not going to stop being loud until somebody makes sure that justice is served,” Damien said.