"We were just there chillin' having fun, and all of a sudden I heard 'pow.' I got up and started running. I ain't even know I got hit until I look down, and I'm like, 'Oh junk, I got hit.'"
These are the words of Ineze Buie, a 17 year old girl who was shot in a drive-by shooting Wednesday night in Northwest Jacksonville. Ineze, along with four other friends were all standing outside when a car pulled up and three masked men opened fire. Cherron Holzendorf and Buie were found along the 7800 block of Denham Road West. A third victim, Justin Harris, was found in a shed on Aubrey Avenue after bystanders directed police to him. Harris told police he ran into the shed to take cover when he heard the gunfire, but realized he had already been shot in the leg. The last two victims, Cheterria Cain and Jerrick Wright were driven to Shands in private vehicles.
"I'm just glad it was my back instead of any place else," said Buie. She said the shooting was simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they were all just hanging out when someone started shooting.
"I think it's crazy, and everybody needs to come together and realize this is not the way to go and if there is going to be any retaliation, let the police do it," said the mother, Anita Walton. The police still do not have any suspects, even after several hours of talking to neighbors and searching for clues.
"It's opened my eyes. I've learned you can't be with everybody. You can't be with the crowd. You got to stay to yourself, and you can't always follow people because you never know what might happen to you,' Buie said.
It seems more and more lately Jacksonville is becoming one giant victim of violence. You see more and more commercials advertising guns, and not enough advertising peace and safety. Teens are getting the wrong idea everyday and nobody seems to know how to help the issue. Even Terry Parker is becoming a victim, having had a gun brought to school recently by a student. What is this saying about our city; our youth? And how can we find ways to stop the violence?
Everybody can band together and work towards making Jacksonville and our local communities a safer place. Try talking to your friends, your children, or even your neighbors about how we can influence teens and adults alike that violence is not the answer. Everyone together can make a difference, we just have to try.
Information from http://www.news4jax.com/news/18257755/detail.html
Sunday, December 14, 2008
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