On February 13, 2024, 17-year-old Blaise Conner was fatally shot in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. He was found on the sidewalk in front of Murray Hill Baptist Church, located on Post Street near Dancy Street, after police responded to reports of gunfire around 8:30 p.m. Conner died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into Conner's death led police to identify 18-year-old Josef D. Madison as the suspect.
Madison was arrested on Thursday, February 15, 2024, and charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felony juvenile delinquent. He was taken into custody at his workplace and later booked. Madison appeared in court on Friday and was ordered to be held without bond, with his arraignment set for March 7.
According to the arrest report, there was an ongoing feud between Madison and Conner, which included at least one or two recent fist fights. One of these fights was documented in a video provided to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and occurred at Murray Hill Park. On the night of the murder, a witness reported that Madison and Conner encountered each other on Post Street, exchanged words, and then three shots were fired.
Madison had a history of violent incidents, including a 2022 charge for domestic battery against his disabled father when he was 16, and later charges for aggravated assault with a firearm, battery, carrying a concealed firearm, and discharging a firearm in public. In the latter incident, Madison had gone to Murray Hill Park for an arranged fight with a teenage girl, punched her, pulled a gun, and fired a shot into the air.
The community and local authorities expressed deep concern over the increase in deadly shootings, particularly among youth. The senior pastor at Murray Hill Baptist Church, Doug Axtell, described the incident as devastating and highlighted the potential and possibility that had been lost with Conner's death. The case has prompted calls for public assistance in preventing such violent incidents and for support from the community to help solve similar cases.
