Police said the child was struck during a late-night domestic dispute in the Hillcrest area, and one adult left before officers arrived.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A 2-year-old boy died after a shooting late Sunday at a Westside apartment complex, where Jacksonville officers said adults were involved in a domestic dispute just before midnight and gunfire hit the child inside the home.
The killing drew an immediate homicide investigation in a part of Jacksonville that has faced repeated violence. Investigators said early Monday that the shooting happened during a dispute among adults inside an apartment on Labelle Street in the Hillcrest neighborhood. The child was taken to a hospital and later died. Police said one adult who had been in the home left the scene before officers got there, while the other people who remained were cooperating.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers were called to the 1200 block of Labelle Street shortly before midnight after a report of a person shot. When they arrived, police said, they found a 2-year-old boy with a gunshot wound inside the apartment. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. At a news briefing Monday morning, investigators said the shooting began with a domestic dispute between adults in the home. During that dispute, police said, someone produced a gun and fired. The bullet struck the child. Officers did not say how many shots were fired or exactly where the boy was standing when he was hit. They also did not publicly identify the child Monday morning. News4JAX reported that the family knew the child’s name was being withheld publicly out of respect for relatives still processing the loss.
Police said an adult who was inside during the shooting ran from the apartment before officers arrived. By Monday morning, investigators said they were still trying to confirm that person’s identity. Officers would not say whether the person who fled was the shooter, whether that person was a parent or relative of the child, or whether any arrest warrants had been issued. They also declined to release a physical description at that stage of the investigation. Authorities said they planned to release a photograph and more information once they were able to confirm who they were seeking. Two other children younger than 10 were inside the apartment at the time, police said, but neither was hurt. Officers detained the other occupants at the scene for interviews, according to Action News Jax, and police said those people were cooperating. Detectives had not publicly announced charges by late Monday morning.
The shooting happened at Valencia Way Apartments, a complex once widely known in Jacksonville as Eureka Gardens. The property has long carried a troubled reputation because of repeated violent crime and years of public concern about safety. Earlier this month, local outlets reported that a man in his early 20s was shot there and was expected to survive. Monday’s shooting renewed attention on the area and on long-running questions about crime in the neighborhood. News4JAX reported that the Hillcrest complex has seen prior violence and that city leaders had recently been asked about efforts to reduce crime there. By Monday morning, there was no public sign that the latest case had led to any immediate policy announcement. What was clear was the scale of the loss: a child too young for school had become the victim in a dispute investigators said began among adults.
Authorities described the case as active and said several key facts were still being worked out. Detectives had not said who owned the gun, whether the weapon was lawfully possessed, or whether the child was the intended target. They also had not said whether the shot was fired intentionally at another person or whether the child was struck by errant gunfire during the argument. Those questions are likely to shape any criminal charges that may follow. For now, the known timeline begins with the dispute late Sunday, the 911 response just before midnight, and the hospital death that turned the case into a homicide inquiry. The next public step is expected to be an update from investigators once they identify the adult who fled and decide whether charges will be filed.
Beyond the police tape and crime-scene lights, neighbors and people close to the family were left speaking about the boy himself. A family friend, Rayniah Wilson, told News4JAX the child was “a happy baby” and “loved by everybody.” She remembered him as a toddler often seen outside with a sippy cup, running and playing. The details were small and ordinary, the kind that often say most about a young child’s life. By Monday morning, those memories stood in sharp contrast to the police account taking shape around the apartment. Investigators were still focused on the people inside during the argument and on the missing adult who left after the gunfire. At the same time, friends and neighbors were beginning the first public steps of mourning in a community that has too often seen another crime scene appear on the same street.
The investigation remained open Monday, with detectives still trying to identify the person who fled and determine who fired the shot. Police had not announced an arrest or charges by late morning, and the next milestone was expected to come when investigators release identifying information or a formal case update.
Author note: Last updated March 23, 2026.