JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A witness in a shooting case was killed weeks after Jacksonville police responded to her home following a vandalism incident.
The family of Cassandra Brown, who was in her 60s, believes she was targeted for her role in testifying in the criminal trial. A police report obtained by Action News Jax states that Brown called police on May 10 to report vandalism at her home and deflated tires on her car.
Witness tampering is listed as a related offense in the report, though the suspect is noted as “unknown.”
Brown’s family told Action News Jax she called police several times before she was shot to death last week.
She was killed Friday during a community gathering on Grothe Street on Jacksonville’s Westside. She was shot in the head while sitting in a chair on the same street where she witnessed the shooting last year.
The witness tampering report is heavily redacted, making it difficult to ascertain all the details surrounding the vandalism incident. Despite the family’s assertions, JSO states that May 10 was the only time Brown contacted them that week.
First Coast Crime Stoppers is offering a $3,000 reward for anyone with information that could lead to an arrest in Brown’s killing.
Family, friends say Brown was in fear for her life weeks before she was killed
Brown testified at the trial against Carla Hill, who shot a man on Grothe Street last June. Hill was found guilty of aggravated battery by a jury. She was sentenced to life in prison.
Calvin Brown, Cassandra Brown’s son, and some of her friends told Action News Jax that she started receiving threats after testifying against Hill.
They said when she first started receiving threats, the man who was sending them was in police custody. Action News Jax is not naming him, because the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed he is a suspect in Brown’s killing.
“This individual chased my mom around my family member’s car with two guns in his hand,” said Calvin Brown. “My other cousin stepped in front of him and told him I’m not going to allow you to shoot my aunt. My cousin put my mom in the car with her, and she drove off.”
Brown remained fearful for her life, her family and friends said.
“When she told me he had threatened her, she went to the State Attorney’s Office,” said one of Browns friends, who wanted to remain anonymous for safety reasons. “I told her that was the right thing to do. I told her that she needed to keep going down there until they get this man off the street.”
And it was not just Brown who they said was threatened. Another one of her friends, who also spoke with Action News Jax anonymously, said she was as well.
“This man was threatening to kill us,” said Brown’s friend.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
