JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office is searching for a juvenile suspect after police said a 12-year-old boy was shot at a Moncrief park Sunday night.<\/p>\n
Investigators said the shooting happened at Clanzel T. Brown Park after a dispute involving children escalated into gunfire.<\/p>\n
According to police, children had gathered at the park when a fight broke out. Investigators said one group left the area and later returned. That\u2019s when shots were fired, striking a 12-year-old boy in the leg.<\/p>\n
The child is expected to recover.<\/p>\n
The shooting has prompted renewed calls from city leaders and law enforcement for parents and guardians to keep a closer watch on children while school is out for the summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the parents and grandparents need to do a better job managing their children. Not at 9 o\u2019clock at night,\u201d Councilwoman Ju\u2019Coby Pittman said.<\/p>\n
Pittman, who represents the area, said the city has invested in resources and organized activities for children on Jacksonville\u2019s Northside. She pointed to amenities at Clanzel T. Brown Park, including cameras, a covered basketball court, a pool, baseball and tennis facilities, and planned improvements to the nearby golf course.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve done all we can,\u201d Pittman said.<\/p>\n
Edwin Cayenne, Director of Investigations and homeland security for the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office, said it\u2019s not unusual to see crime increase during the summer months when students are out of school.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsually, crime starts to trend a little bit when school is out because from that point accountability now takes over and it\u2019s got to go back to parenting,\u201d Cayenne said.<\/p>\n
Cayenne also said the sheriff\u2019s office has noticed an increase in shootings involving people who know one another. He said investigators work to identify trends and intervene before violence escalates, including monitoring activity on social media.<\/p>\n
The shooting also raised concerns about how juveniles gain access to firearms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen these individuals, one, who are underage, and two, didn\u2019t legally purchase these weapons, get access to these weapons, these are the results,\u201d Cayenne said.<\/p>\n
Despite the shooting, Pittman said she does not want residents to view Clanzel T. Brown Park as unsafe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want this one incident for people to think this park is not safe because it is,\u201d Pittman said. \u201cWe have all the infrastructure in to ensure that this park is safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police have not announced any arrests. The Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office said detectives are looking for a black male in his late teens who was last seen wearing dark clothing.<\/p>\n
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office or Crime Stoppers.<\/p>\n
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