A juvenile boy was shot and killed Saturday afternoon in the 700 block of Venus Mars Court near the University Plaza Apartments and North Davis Street, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Very little has been released about what happened before officers were called to the scene about 4 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office did say detectives have one person detained for questioning and that the victim died while being treated at the hospital.
His specific age was not provided, but he becomes the 12th homicide victim 17 or younger out of the city’s 63 killings this year, according to Times-Union records. Last year there were 10 homicide victims in this age bracket. But Jacksonville remains way off last year’s pace of 119 killings at this time in 2023 and remains in line for fewer than 100 for the first time since 2011 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Deadly shooting: Boy becomes 12th homicide victim 17 or younger in Jacksonville this year