In the early hours of Saturday morning, a man in his early 40s endured a gunshot wound to the leg at a social gathering in Jacksonville. The incident, which occurred around midnight, was reported by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Officers were dispatched at approximately 5:45 a.m. to the 4500 block of Wrico Drive, responding to reports of the shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered the injured man, who had been shot in the upper thigh. He was promptly transported to a nearby hospital, where medical staff determined that his injuries were not life-threatening.
The details surrounding the exact location of the party remain unclear; however, the victim recounted that he was at a nearby celebration when he was approached by two men. In a sudden turn of events, one of the men brandished a firearm and discharged a single shot into the victim’s leg before both suspects fled the scene.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the incident as they work to piece together the events that unfolded and track down the individuals involved. The community is encouraged to come forward with any information that might assist in identifying the suspects.
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According to Johnson, preliminary investigation revealed the man had been hanging out at a nearby party at an unknown location when he was confronted by two men. The victim told investigators one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him once in the leg before both suspects ran away.
“The only suspect description provided by the victim is two black males,” Johnson said. “The direction of travel for the two suspects is unknown at this time.”
Johnson said detectives and officers canvassed the area where the shooting was believed to have happened, but were unable to locate a crime scene. He added that the victim stated he was shot around midnight, though officers were not notified until several hours later.
JSO is actively investigating the shooting. Anyone with information on it is asked to call JSO’s non-emergency number at 904-630-0500. To provide information anonymously, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.