JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friends are identifying the woman who was shot and killed while sitting in the chair at a block party Friday night as Cassandra Brown.
Roderick Dorsey, who said he’s known Brown since they were young said she was in her 60s and was nicknamed “Shorty.”
According to JSO, a ShotSpotter alert was activated around 9:30 p.m. Friday night, prompting a nearby patrol officer to respond.
When the officer arrived, the officer was directed to a woman, who had been shot in the head while sitting in a chair on the sidewalk on Grothe Street.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue pronounced her dead at the scene.
JSO said more than 100 people were gathered at the intersection of Grothe and Eaverson Streets for a block party.
Now memorial is growing at the corner where Brown was killed, being decorated with ballons, candles and stuffed animals.
“She was a good person,” Dorsey said. “Shorty was a fun little person. The average person that was around Shorty, they were around her because she was Shorty. She’d sit there minding her business and before you knew it, it was a table full of people around her.”
Dorsey and a woman News4JAX spoke with off camera said Brown was selfless and always looked out for others.
“If I needed some money, I could step to Shorty,” Dorsey said. “She’d look at me, see it in my face, and just say, ‘Here, you’ll be alright.’
And Dorsey said he’ll always remember their last conversation because after he spoke he hugged her.
And in memory of his friend he said they plan to hold a cookout in her honor soon.
News4JAX reached out to police for updates on this case, they replied and said they do not have any updates. The case continues to be active and investigated.
Anyone with information is urged to call JSO at 904-630-0500, email JSOCRIMETIPS@jaxsheriff.org, or contact CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
