Despite calls to stay home because of COVID-19, violence still occurs in Jacksonville.
Two officer-involved shootings occurred on Saturday, while deadly incidents between residents happened this Easter weekend.
“All of us are missing a big piece of our heart right now, hearing that she’s gone,” Rachel Baker said.
Rachel Baker is devastated after her younger sister Leah Baker, was shot and killed by police after an argument with her roommate over medication escalated.
JSO says she stabbed one officer with a knife and refused commands to drop the weapon before a second officer fired at Leah Baker. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Rachel Baker says she was dealing with mental illness and feels the situation should’ve been handled differently.
“She should’ve still been in the care of physicians,” Rachel Baker added.
It was the second officer-involved shooting on Saturday as violence continues to impact the city.
“With the coronavirus, the criminals are going through and killing our children,” Donald Foy with community group MAD DADS spoke after a shooting took the life of five-year-old Kearria Addison last week.
Our news partners at the Florida Times-Union report that through April 12, the city has seen 53 homicides; the most at this point for at least the past 15 years.
Both Mayor Lenny Curry and Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams say that they are concerned about the level of violence in the city, and hope that the efforts to stop COVID-19 can be replicated to stop the violence in the city.
Williams says they are seeing an increase in some crimes. He says some of it could be due to COVID-19.
“We have seen a spike in domestic issues, that is something you can directly relate to quarantine, we’ve seen some mental health issues pop up,” Williams said.
He also says that a rise in violent crime is due to the same groups of people who have committed violent crimes.
Curry supported that sentiment. He adds that after the COVID-19 pandemic passes, more people will be committed to efforts to stop violence in the city.
“Just because these are small groups of people largely fighting amongst themselves, we can’t ignore it as a community. I hope we can come out of this and say we’ve got to be in that fight as well together,” Curry said.
Williams said his department has had a successful run in making arrests in homicide cases.
First Coast News has tracked over 50 homicides in the city so far this year. According to JSO’s transparency site, only 10 arrests have been made among reported cases this year.
Their website states that notwithstanding homicides that are pending classification, there are 45 murders in 2020.
Williams says his department is stretched thin but is continuing to do their part to stop violent crime.
“We’re spread thin and we’re very busy and I’m proud of the men and women working to protect everyone to keep this community safe,” Williams said.