JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 The first week of high school football season ended in gunfire Friday night at Lonnie C. Miller Sr. Regional Park in Northwest Jacksonville, and for one father, the nightmare began not at the park, but with a knock at his front door.<\/p>\n
James Crews learned his 20-year-old son, Zakyri, had been shot when a parent came to the family\u2019s home to deliver the news.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe parent had came to the house and notified us that there was an incident. It was a shooting that involved my son. We go to Shands, and this is where we\u2019re at,\u201d Crews told News4JAX on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Zakyri Crews was one of two people wounded when gunfire broke out near a high school football game between Young Kids in Motion Academy and Joshua Christian Academy. A 19-year-old woman was also struck in the leg. Both were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
Zakyri Crews (News4JAX Channel 4)<\/p>\n
But the road to recovery ahead for Zakyri is far from simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis shoulder, it\u2019s still healing. It\u2019s an open wound. They\u2019re planning surgery,\u201d his father said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to have to end up putting a metal rod in his arm. He\u2019s probably going to have to live with this for the rest of his life. Even with the mental state, he\u2019s now physically living with this ailment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investigators say two groups got into a dispute during the game between Young Kids Academy and Joshua Christian Academy. One group was escorted out \u2014 but later returned. That\u2019s when shots were fired.<\/p>\n
JSO says two men believed to be responsible fled the scene. They are described as being in their late teens to early 20s. The shooting stems from an ongoing dispute between the two groups, according to investigators, who say there is no additional danger to the community or to the two schools involved.<\/p>\n
James Crews described his son as someone who loves football, loves being around people \u2014 and who now faces a future shaped by a bullet he never saw coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a joyful kid, he\u2019s 20, he wants to play football, he wants to be around a lot of kids,\u201d Crews said. \u201cBut sad to say in our society today, that\u2019s just not a reality. You know, you have to watch your kids and they have to watch who they\u2019re letting in their circles.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Crews, the wound goes beyond the physical.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody should be talking about, \u2018I got shot at 20,\u2019 when you\u2019re going to go play a football game.\u201d<\/p>\n
James Crews is not only the father of a shooting victim \u2014 he is also a youth violence prevention advocate on Jacksonville\u2019s Northside, working alongside community leader John Marcus.<\/p>\n
Marcus said Friday night\u2019s shooting deepened an urgent call for investment in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think our future City Councils, they need to come outside for people, not just around election time,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cThey need to come outside and say, \u2018Hey, what can I do to make this side of town better?\u2019 Because it starts with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crews echoed that call, framing the solution in terms of resources, not just enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to come together and let\u2019s focus in on gathering attention and providing resources for our youth,\u201d he said. \u201cWith more resources, I can guarantee you we will have less crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
JSO has not announced any arrests. The investigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n