JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A neighborhood gathering turned tragic Friday night when police said a woman in her 60s was shot and killed on Grothe Street, leaving residents stunned and grieving the loss of someone many considered a lifelong friend.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the victim, identified by neighbors as Cassandra Brown, was sitting in a chair at the event when she was shot in the head.
The same chair now stands as a makeshift memorial on the sidewalk, a quiet tribute to a woman who meant so much to her community.
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“She was a good person. I have known her for 20 to 30 years, when I was a teenager,” said longtime neighbor Robert Taylor, who was visibly shaken by the incident.
Taylor said he and Brown had been friends for nearly three decades. The fatal shooting occurred just feet from his front door.
“Man, I hate that this happened. I hate it happened here, and I hate I wasn’t here,” Taylor said. “It hurt me at the bottom of my heart.”
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Neighbors told Action News Jax the area was packed with people attending the neighborhood function when the violence erupted.
Taylor, who lives in the area, said this isn’t the first time he’s been concerned about gatherings growing too large or unsafe.
“I live here and here is noise all night and every night,” he said. “You got a bunch of people in one neighborhood and everybody don’t know everybody, so somebody could come from somewhere else and do something you don’t know.”
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As the community continues to process the shocking loss, the memorial chair stands as a solemn reminder of Brown’s presence and the need for peace in the neighborhood.
As of Saturday evening, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. JSO is urging anyone with information to come forward by contacting the department directly or through Crime Stoppers.
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