JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — * The above video was originally published in January 2019 and is not directly related to this report.
The violence in some of Jacksonville's neighborhoods can aptly be described by a 19th century proverb: "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
Jacksonville rapper Foolio was shot.
Again.
Foolio, whose real name is Charles Jones, was most recently injured Nov. 8 after getting out of his vehicle in the 2000 block of Ernest Street in Riverside. Hours after the shooting, Foolio, 23, went live on his Instagram - again.
He did the same thing after being shot in Houston, Texas in July 2020.
"I didn’t get hit. I got grazed in the leg," the rapper says in the video last week showing off the minor wounds near his ankle.
"I shot back in self-defense. My gun is registered. If I did something illegal the police would put me in jail. A ni**a did miss 100 shoots though. They must have thought I was lackin’ for sure," he continued.
"Y’all miss a whole 100 shots literally," Foolio posted on his Instagram story which included smiley face and kiss emojis.
The Texas shooting was more serious and Foolio went live from his hospital bed saying, “An *expletive shot me, but didn’t kill me.”
The attempt on Foolio’s life was mentioned in a rival gang's viral music video “Who I Smoke” weeks after the Texas shooting. In that song, Jacksonville rapper FastMoney Goon rhymed “… I was lurking on his page and caught him lackin' in Houston, we let off shots, he got a shot and went live, we was like damn that *expletive ain't die.”
That video was made by a group called ATK lead by rapper Yungeen Ace. Foolio is an admitted member of the group KTA.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams has said both groups are dangerous gangs.
Officers arriving at the scene of last week's shooting said police made contact with Foolio who said he was shot by "unknown suspects in a dark color truck or SUV," according to a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office incident report.
Police said Foolio reported multiple shots coming from the area of Goodwin and Ernest streets. He told officers he grabbed his two guns and returned fire.
Police reported finding a white T-shirt, 20 spent casings, one possible AR15 with rounds in the magazine on street at the intersection of Goodwin and Ernest streets, the police report states. No arrests were made.
In February 2019, Foolio's little brother, 16-year-old Adrian Dennard Gainer Jr., aka Bibby, was shot to death at a Moncrief area apartment complex.
RELATED: Jacksonville rapper Ksoo, accused killer of Bibby, Lil Buck, has pretrial in Duval County court
Gainer's shooting death, along with numerous other Jacksonville murders, have been mocked in rap videos that have been viewed millions of times around the world and have garnered national headlines.
One of Foolio's latest videos is called "List of Dead Opps." It includes the names of nearly a dozen people killed here in Jacksonville. It was released last month and has more than 4 million views.
