JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Only Action News Jax’s cameras were rolling as the Community Problem Response unit with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office worked to track down the killers of a seven-year-old boy.
Investigator Emily Turner rode with officers for a behind-the-scenes look at how the specialized unit works to combat violent crime.
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Within minutes of the murder of seven-year-old Breon Allen, the officers knew the gangs involved. Within hours of it, they’d found the vehicle used in the drive-by shooting.
The sole job of the Community Problem Response (CPR) unit is staying on top of the most violent criminals in the city for that exact reason -- so when crimes like this happen, they know exactly where to go and who to look for.
It’s the unfortunate reality of some of Jacksonville’s streets: gun violence, gang activity, and officers working tirelessly to stop it.
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“All of our detectives are deployed to different areas,” Sergeant Jessica Shouse said in the hours after the fatal shooting, “searching for the vehicle that we believe is connected to the crime.”
Not only was Breon killed in the shooting, but his cousin, 21-year-old Lafayette Mango, a known gang affiliate, was hurt.
It happened Friday evening on the Westside and officers say multiple shooters in a dark Kia Soul opened fire with rifles and guns. Bullets hit multiple houses, critically injuring Mango and killing Breon.
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“He was just a baby,” one family member told Action News Jax, “He didn’t deserve this. We just want whoever did this to be caught.”
Which is exactly what the CPR unit is deployed to do.
JSO said gang violence is the driving force behind these kinds of attacks and the CPR unit has been critical in targeting the criminals involved. On this night, before the crime scene was even cleared, the CPR unit was already hunting for the killers.
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“Information through witnesses, through different resources started coming through and they were able to link some of the individuals involved,” Shouse said.
Officers knew the gangs involved, their players, and where they usually leave their stolen cars. So within hours of the crime being committed, our cameras were rolling as they found the stolen Kia used in the fatal drive-by.
Action News Jax watched as officers took action, surrounding the car.
“Right now,” Shouse explained, “they’re basically creating a perimeter that’s wide enough to where we can’t be seen … It’ll all be covert vehicles set up in a good perimeter around it -- no matter which direction the vehicle goes, if it went mobile, we would have someone there.”
The Kia never moved, so after several hours, it was taken for evidence.
“This is some of the stuff they look for,” Shouse said. “You’ve got a big ole handprint right there.”
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A crime scene detective will collect evidence, run the prints, and see if there’s any DNA while Shouse and her CPR team runs through the list of known gang members and their usual hang outs.
“I want everybody to tune in to those locations, groups, and those guys hanging out,” said the Lieutenant over the radio, “and all that comes from that clique I want stopped.”
The rest of that night was quiet, but the CPR team had turned up the heat, laser-focused on making known gang members uncomfortable and finding them in any act that was against the law. They call it “scorched Earth” and it’s been working. Violent crime in Jacksonville is down almost 50%.
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JSO has yet to charge anyone in the arrest with the murder of Allen, he case criminals know it’s only a matter of time.
“They know what these uniforms mean,” Shouse said. “When they see these green pants out there, you’ll start hearing them call ‘Gang, CPR. They’re here. They’re here. They’re looking for us.’”
On Thursday afternoon, JSO announced an increased reward for information in the case of up to $25,000. If you have any information, you can contact JSO anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
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