A 7-year-old boy was gunned down in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday night, becoming the fifth child to be shot in the city in less than two weeks but the first to die, the sheriff’s office said.
The child, Tashawn Gallon, died in the shooting that also injured a 23-year-old man, who is expected to survive, authorities said.
The two were shot near the front yard of a home, Assistant Chief Scott Dingee of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said at a news conference.
The shooting appears to have been deliberately aimed toward that site, but authorities said they don’t know who may have been the target.
“These shootings need to stop,” Dingee said. “All murders and all shootings are unacceptable. When you have children that can’t play in their front yard that’s unbelievable to me.”
“I know for a fact that the people in the communities are outraged as well as we are,” he said. “They should be.”
Other young victims in recent shootings in Jacksonville include a 17-year-old on Feb. 15 and an 11-year-old and 14-year-old on Feb. 8, according to tweets by the sheriff’s office.
Authorities have yet to identify the suspects in the Sunday night shooting and are looking for information.
The sheriff’s office tweeted, “Someone knows who did this, someone has heard someone talking about it.”
Anyone with information is urged to call the authorities at 904-630-0500. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting 1-866-845-TIPS. A $3,000 reward is available.
Seven children, age 19 or under, are killed by guns on average every day in the United States, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, which cited CDC data.
