Jacksonville police said detectives were questioning “a person of interest” after the shooting while an estimated “100 to 300” teenagers gathered in a parking lot outside The Avenues shopping center.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, and no one has come forward to say they were a victim of the crime that occurred at the Regional Mall at 10300 Southside Avenue on Feb. 14 around 5 p.m. But Lt. M. Garzik of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference that a bullet struck an unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot.
“We have a detainee who is being interviewed as a person of interest,” Garzik said, without disclosing the person’s name or age.
As of the morning of February 15, no arrests had been reported in the ongoing investigation.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said no injuries were reported, but gunfire erupted in The Avenues parking lot on Feb. 14 as hundreds of young people gathered outside the Regional Mall on the city’s South Side and a bullet struck an empty car. Police are questioning “a person of interest,” but the Sheriff’s Office has not reported an arrest.
Boulevard management officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Feb. 15.
Garzik said a lieutenant with the Sheriff’s Office was commuting to and from the avenue and “observed a large group of juveniles in the parking lot.”
He estimated there were between 100 and 300 teenagers in the crowd when several gunshots were heard and the crowd dispersed.
“At this time, we don’t know what led to the shooting,” he said. “At this time, we do not know how the shooting occurred or who was involved. That is why we are asking for the public’s help.”
However, police are investigating whether the incident is related to an apparent “teenage takeover”.
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Detectives from the Robbery and Violent Crime Unit, Intelligence and Crime Scene Unit interview witnesses and preserve evidence following the incident.
He said that despite gunfire outside, officers went inside and “for everyone’s safety and out of an abundance of caution, cleared the entire mall to make sure there was no threat inside the mall.”
He said that while several stores had voluntarily closed temporarily, the mall itself was not closed.
Immediately following the incident, the Sheriff’s Office set up a “reunion area” for parents to pick up any remaining teens at the scene.
Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the Sheriff’s Office at (904) 630-0500, jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff, or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-tips
This article originally appeared in The Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Police: Possible teen takeover at Boulevard Mall
