Councilmember: Upcoming downtown projects will help reduce crime in the area

3 years ago 279

JSO investigating a shooting astatine the Hyatt successful Downtown Jacksonville.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was a convulsive play successful and astir the downtown core.

The 2 astir notable shootings were a shooting successful a bath astatine the Hyatt hotel and a drive-by connected the Eastside.

The edifice shooting happened successful a restroom adjacent the entranceway to Morton’s steakhouse restaurant. JSO is inactive investigating that shooting.

MORE | 6 Jacksonville residents changeable successful little than 24 hours; 306 changeable this year

The Eastside shooting happened adjacent downtown astatine East 3rd Street and Franklin Street. Two 14-year-olds were changeable but person survived. News4Jax spoke with Ahmad Merriweather who lives adjacent that neighborhood. He said transgression has been little successful that country than successful years past.

“It utilized to beryllium a agelong clip ago. But not that overmuch anymore,” said Merriweather.

Both these shootings are not acold from TIAA Bank Field wherever determination has been ongoing assemblage treatment astir large operation projects that could see apartments, restaurants and different buildings.

“We truly request to get a grip connected transgression successful the metropolis astatine large,” said City Councilwoman LeAnna Cumber whose territory encompasses the Southbank of Downtown. “And we request to person a existent consciousness of urgency successful processing downtown, some with large projects but besides with, you know, smaller projects that volition amended downtown and get much ft postulation downtown, which volition assistance alleviate immoderate of the crime.”

News4Jax transgression and information adept Ken Jefferson said ft postulation tin help.

He added that JSO volition request to summation its beingness downtown if hundreds oregon thousands of radical determination into the area.

“If there’s an influx successful population, 3,000 oregon much people, with each of the developments going on, they’re going to person to summation the patrols,” said Jefferson.

According to News4Jax records, determination person been less shootings this twelvemonth than astatine this constituent successful 2020.