Jacksonville residents say beloved boardwalk is 'ruined' after shooting
AUGUST 26: Jacksonville Sheriff's boats secure the docks in front of Jacksonville Landing on August 26, 2018 in Jacksonville, Florida. A shooting rampage during a Madden 19 video game tournament at the site claimed four lives, with several others wounded, according to published reports. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Only a few city blocks away from Jacksonville Landing, where Sunday’s shooting took place, local residents bemoaned the notion that their beloved “boardwalk” was tarnished forever.
“Now I won’t bring my 5 year old over there,” said Jesse Santiago of Jacksonville. “That place usually has a lot of kids in it. I just got my boardwalk ruined.”
Nearby, Chris Haight of Jacksonville wondered why someone would even think to bring a handgun to a video game tournament.
“I can’t get past the fact that a grown man was playing video games, which I’m OK with, but now three people are dead and others are injured because he got mad and decided to pull out a gun.”
Haight added that the “Landing” is the place to be on the weekends, calling it a major attraction of the city.
“I’ve been there multiple times and I never thought anything of that caliber would happen,” he said shaking his head. “Usually it’s a very relaxed atmosphere.”
Victims recover at local hospitals
There was very little, if any, visible police presence at Jacksonville area hospitals Monday morning as the city tries to shake off the weekend tragedy and get back to normalcy.
Two of Sunday's shooting victims remain hospitalized at UF Health Jacksonville. Both are in stable condition, one is listed as serious according to a hospital media relations.
At Memorial Hospital, officials said three of the four shooting victims admitted Sunday remain in the hospital’s care and are in good condition. A fourth was treated and discharged.
“Our prayers go out to those who lost family or friends during today’s shooting at Jacksonville Landing,” read a post on the hospital’s Facebook page.
Nearby at Baptist Health, spokeswoman Cyndi Hamilton said one patient admitted yesterday for injuries sustained while fleeing the scene was treated and released.