Rashaud Fields was just 18 years old when he was shot and killed on May 23, 2022, mere hours after his high school graduation<\/a>. The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. in the 10700 block of Pine Estates Road. Despite being rushed to the hospital by Jacksonville Fire Rescue, where medical staff attempted life-saving measures, Fields did not survive. His killer remains at large, leaving his family searching for closure while trying to preserve his memory.<\/p>\nThe kitchen bustled with activity as Fields and her family prepared the traditional Thanksgiving feast. A special place was set at the table for Rashaud, a testament to his enduring presence in their lives. \u201cWe all know that Rashaud loves to eat. He was a big boy,\u201d Fields remembered with fondness. \u201cThis day means a lot to us because we are missing a piece of our families.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI put this (picture of Rashaud) here because when we prepare this food and we all say the Thanksgiving blessing, he would not be included out,\u201d she explained. \u201cEven though he\u2019s no longer with us anymore, he\u2019s still gonna be with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Jaden Snodgrass, Rashaud\u2019s cousin, the loss remains profound. \u201cShah, my big cousin, he was like everything \u2013 funny, caring. If I needed anything, he was gonna make sure I had it,\u201d Snodgrass recalled. He vividly remembers their last Thanksgiving together, filled with food, family time, and football at their grandmother\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
Despite the unresolved circumstances surrounding her son\u2019s death, Fields has found a path toward forgiveness. \u201cYes, I do [forgive them] because I understand that it was a mistake,\u201d she said, though adding, \u201cbut the longer you wait, it makes me more angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gathering served as more than just a family reunion \u2013 it became a powerful reminder of the importance of family bonds. \u201cI just wanna tell everyone, if you have a family member, just make sure you cherish that family member,\u201d Snodgrass urged. \u201cFamily does argue sometimes, but make sure you still hold that love that you got for your family member.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fields concluded with a message to others experiencing similar loss: \u201cHappy Thanksgiving to all the grieving moms, all the moms that\u2019s missing their children, that\u2019s no longer here, and I hope they have a blessed Thanksgiving… Because I know it\u2019s hard missing your loved one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anyone with information about Rashaud Fields\u2019 murder is urged to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff\u2019s Office at 904-630-0500, email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org, or call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. To receive a possible reward of up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS(8477) or dial **TIPS (star star 8477) on your cell phone. Callers can remain anonymous.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Three years after her son\u2019s murder, Yvonne Fields gathered with her family this Thanksgiving, marking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63091,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117,37936,1189],"class_list":{"0":"post-63090","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-jacksonville","9":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","10":"tag-jacksonville-news","11":"tag-rashaud-fields","12":"tag-thanksgiving"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}