Blake Hendrix was 23 and from Callahan, Florida, when he was shot and killed on February 16, 2020, in the Riverside area of Jacksonville. Off-duty officers heard multiple gunshots around 2:30 a.m. and found Hendrix’s body behind a business near King Street. Witnesses suggested a fight may have led to the shooting, and Hendrix’s uncle said Blake was trying to protect a friend who was involved in the altercation.

Family and friends remembered Hendrix as kind-hearted, full of life and someone who loved singing; he was due to complete an apprenticeship with a local plumbers’ union in May 2020. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigated the homicide, and on February 21, 2020, Rodney Braziel was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting; he was held without bond and had a court date set for March 16, 2020. The killing was reported as Jacksonville’s 16th homicide of 2020, and community groups rallied around the family.

If anyone was in the Riverside area near King Street that night or has information about the fight, can you share what you know?