JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An arrest has been made after a 16-year old boy was found dead inside a hotel room in East Arlington.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has charged a 15-year-old with possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent and tampering with evidence. First Coast News is not naming the teen due to his age.
Tuesday morning, shortly before 2 a.m., JSO says officers were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 200 block of St. John’s Bluff Road North.
Upon arrival, officers located a 16-year-old victim with a gunshot wound who was pronounced dead on scene by the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department.
Police say simultaneous to this call, officers received a call from an individual in the 5800 block of University Boulevard West who stated he had been involved in a shooting.
Detectives with JSO’s Homicide and Crime Scene Units responded to both scenes and began their respective investigations.
JSO says the investigation revealed the suspect and victim were initially together at the St. John’s Bluff Road location.
The suspect was in possession of a firearm which at some point, discharged, striking the victim, police say.
JSO says the suspect fled the scene with several firearms and without calling for medical attention to aid the victim. After fleeing the area, JSO says the suspect disposed of the firearms and then called to report the incident.
During a follow-up, detectives say they were able to recover the firearms that the suspect discarded.
Following the investigation, the suspect was arrested for Possession of a Firearm by an Adjudicated Delinquent and Tampering with Evidence.
This continues to be an active joint investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office in determining if additional charges will be filed in the homicide.
First Coast News talked with a group of people who stay at the hotel and said they didn't hear a gunshot and rarely see children on the property.
"I wanted to puke, because my son's 22 and this kid's 16," said a woman named Sondra, who lives at the hotel and did not want to give her last name. "If it's a murder or a suicide you don't want any of your kids, any child to go through that. I'm sorry, 16, 22, you're all children, you know what I mean? Too young for that, too young for that and it's just sad."
JSO would not give any information about the 911 call, but First Coast News has requested it.
If you have any information, please call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500. To leave an anonymous tip, call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.