Young man shot in the head on Westside

A young man has died following an early Tuesday shooting in the 7100 block of Luke Street, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

Officers were called about 1:30 a.m. to the Sweetwater neighborhood south of Wilson Boulevard after multiple 911 calls came in about at least a dozen shots fired in the Westside neighborhood, Sgt. Steve Rudlaff said. Arriving officers found a man 18 to 20 years old in a driveway shot in the head.

Taken to the hospital, he was listed in critical condition but didn't survive, the Sheriff's Office said.

"We do not have any suspect information other than there were multiple gunshots on the street," Rudlaff said. "... A lot of the evidence markers are casings. There were multiple rounds shot. That's why a lot of the phone calls were coming in from area residents because of the concern."

One neighbor interviewed by officers said he heard about 10 shots, describing them as "being two separate bursts of fire," the incident report said. He also said there had been "frequent issues involving gunfire" at the victim's address in recent times.

Two vehicles were apparently hit by bullets during the shooting, listed in the incident report. Investigators placed at least 15 evidence markers in the street after the shooting to indicate shell casings and other evidence.

Rudlaff said they contacted the victim's family to see if there were any issues that could have led to the shooting. Homicide and aggravated battery detectives were seeking possible security camera video of the shooting since there are multiple businesses near that street. Rudlaff also said they believe people were on the street at the time of the shooting and may have seen something.

The shooting marks the city's 68th homicide so far this year. That's well ahead of last year when there were 51 at the same juncture and 125 by year end. It's also well ahead of 2017's pace of 61 in a year that saw 138 homicide victims, according to Times-Union records.

If you have any information call the Sheriff's Office at (904) 630-0500 or First Coast Crime Stoppers at (866) 845-8477 (TIPS).

Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549