MADISON, Fla. (WTXL) — Two student shootings just days apart have shaken the Madison County community. One witness is now calling for change.
- A 17-year-old Madison County High student was shot and killed near Old County Camp Road Saturday night.
- Another student, a 10th grader and football player, was shot earlier in the week but survived.
- Watch the video below to see how neighbors are trying to move forward.
Madison County mourns after two student shoot in one week
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Two Madison County students shot in just one week, and neighbors say the violence has hit far too close to home.
“I heard multiple shots went off, and I was sitting in the house watching the game,” neighbor Reggie Florence said.
On Saturday night, a 17-year-old Madison County High School student was shot near Old County Camp Road and Vera Avenue. He was taken to Madison County Memorial Hospital but did not survive.
Florence lives just a few yards from where the shooting happened.
“I heard multiple shots go off, so I came outside to observe, to see what was going on. And by the time I was coming out the house, the county sheriffs showed up about the same time. So I walked up to see what was going on and saw that the young man had been shot several times,” Florence said.
The victim's family members—who I saw at the sheriff’s office—were visibly upset and not ready to speak publicly.
District officials confirmed funeral services for the 17-year-old will take place on Sept. 27 inside the high school gym.
“When the incidents first happened, the community comes together, you know—they are at a whole. Everybody is willing to do certain things. But then you give it five, ten days later, everybody goes back to their lives and they forget the youth, forget the thing that just happened. And then, we see a repeat of that same thing,” Florence said.
Superintendent Karen Pickles says grief counselors will be available to help students and staff.
“Anytime we lose a student it is heartbreaking. Everybody grieves differently, and so we reached out to our PACE Consortium and our sister districts, and they stepped up. They sent extra counselors and mental health professionals. So we’ve had those about both school sites today,” Pickles said.
It’s the second shooting involving a student in less than a week.
Just days ago, a 10th grader from James Madison Preparatory—who also played football for Madison County High—was shot at Hilltop Apartments. He survived and has since been released from the hospital.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office says the investigations are still active.
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