Jaquon Reeves

Jaquon Reeves was a 17-year-old athlete and sophomore at First Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida, who played both football and basketball. His mother, Latrice Reeves, remembered him as a young man with a family that loved him, who went to school just like any other kid. He dreamed of playing football for the University of South Carolina. A family spokesperson said there was nothing bad to say about Jaquon, describing the immense pain his death brought to his mother, brothers, and sisters.

On the evening of Friday, May 15, 2015, a group of 25 to 30 young people, many of them students from First Coast High, gathered at William Sheffield Park on New Berlin Road. Initial reports described the gathering as a vigil for 17-year-old Johnell Johnson, a classmate and football player who had been shot and killed at an after-prom party about two weeks earlier. However, Jaquon's mother later clarified that the teens were at the park to play basketball, as they often did, and were simply hanging out by a lake afterward.

Around 9:15 p.m., the peaceful gathering was shattered by violence. One or more unknown individuals arrived at the park and opened fire on the group. In the chaos that ensued, Jaquon Reeves was fatally shot. He died in a wooded area behind the park. A second teenager, a 17-year-old junior from First Coast High, was grazed by a bullet and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries; he was treated and released.

When the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene, the park was nearly empty. Most of the witnesses had fled in the panic following the gunfire, leaving investigators with little information to go on. Detectives blocked off the park with crime scene tape and began interviewing the few people they could find. Police stated that the shooting could be gang-related, though they did not believe it was in direct retaliation for the killing of Johnell Johnson. No suspect information was released to the public.

In the days that followed, Jaquon's grieving family pleaded for anyone with information to come forward. A spokesperson, speaking on behalf of his mother who feared for her safety while the killer was free, said, "So much pain, so much pain in this mother's eyes... Call the right authorities and let them know what happened. Nobody has the right to take anybody's life." His mother added that the tragedy was incredibly hard on Jaquon's siblings. The family established a GoFundMe page and an account at VyStar Credit Union to help cover his funeral expenses.

The community mourned the loss of another young life to gun violence. In October 2015, Jaquon's name was one of 11 new names added to a list of 274 young victims remembered at an annual candlelight vigil hosted by the organization Compassionate Families. His mother, Latrice Reeves, attended the ceremony alongside the mother of Johnell Johnson, the very classmate whose death had brought the teens together in the park that fateful night. "The gun violence is just sad and we as a people have to stop and pray for our kids," Latrice Reeves said at the vigil. "That's the only thing that's going to help."

As of the latest reports, the murder of Jaquon Reeves remains unsolved, and no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office continues to ask for the public's help. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Sheriff's Office at (904) 630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS to remain anonymous.