Thomas LaVon Peterson Jr., 16, was shot and died after being taken to UF Health Jacksonville following a November 5, 2016, shooting near West 11th Street and Spires Avenue in Northwest Jacksonville. He was transported to the hospital in a four-door Honda that detectives later seized for the investigation. The exact number of gunshot wounds was not disclosed.

The shooting occurred in a neighborhood described as having high crime rates. JSO interviewed several people believed to have been with Peterson, but witness and community reluctance hampered the probe. No suspects have been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced. Peterson was the 12th teenager fatally shot in Jacksonville that year, a fact community leaders cited while calling for efforts to address youth gun violence.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers. Can anyone who knew Thomas or who was in that area on November 5, 2016, provide tips that might help investigators?