The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says that before the shooting, several unknown suspects attempted to rob the victim.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A teenager is in life-threatening condition after a reported robbery turned shooting on the Northside, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says.

JSO says that before noon on Friday, officers responded to the 900 block of Broward Road in the Highlands neighborhood regarding an alleged shooting. Upon arrival, officers found “an adult male in his late teens” suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. 

The victim was taken to a local hospital shortly after in life-threatening condition.

According to their initial investigation, JSO says that “several unknown suspects had attempted to rob the victim’s apartment. It is currently unknown how they entered, as well as if there was any relationship between them and the victim.

Any information should be sent to JSO by calling 904-630-0500 or by email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org. You can also remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

We spoke with our crime and safety expert Mark Baughman about the investigation. 

“You got to establish motive here,” he said. “The police are going to try and find that out. They’re going to canvass the area. They’re going to look for witnesses. Hopefully this young man lives, and is able to talk to law enforcement or is willing to talk to law enforcement.”

He went on to share this message for anyone worried about safety.

“You obviously want to have cameras,” Baughman said. “You want to have an alarm system. You may want to have a dog. A lot of people have firearms to protect their homes and protect themselves, and you want to make sure you have good locks on the doors that they’re not easy to breach.”