JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — People who knew of the victim said he was someone who would walk around the neighborhood or spend time sitting at his porch. The news of his murder does not sit well with one neighbor.
She goes by Marie and she described her the 72-year-old man as family to her and her children. The Mid-Westside resident said he 'had a real good heart' and 'he was a good man'.
Living in the neighborhood won't be the same for Marie. Knowing what happened to her friend she expressed how heartbroken she was.
"It was very emotional," Marie said.
She does not live too far from where the victim lived. Marie said her neighbor was a father figure to her sons.
"You had a problem, he was someone you can go vent to because he had an open ear," Marie said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office responded to his home on the 2000 block of West 14th Street, Saturday afternoon. The victim was found lying in the backyard of his home. Authorities said he was shot in the chest and later died in the hospital.
"In this neighborhood, you're going to get a little here and there," Marie said. "It hits close to home the way it did. It's just too close and he was an elderly person."
JSO said witnesses saw a man run from the area where they heard gunshots. He escaped in a dark-colored vehicle. If you know anything that can lead to an arrest, call the police or Crime Stoppers.