On February 13, 2024, 17-year-old Blaise Conner was shot and killed in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill neighborhood. He was found on the sidewalk in front of Murray Hill Baptist Church on Post Street near Dancy Street after police responded to reports of gunfire around 8:30 p.m. Conner died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds.

Police identified 18-year-old Josef D. Madison as a suspect and arrested him on February 15, 2024. He was charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felony juvenile delinquent and was taken into custody at his workplace. The arrest report says there had been an ongoing feud between Madison and Conner, including one or two recent fist fights, and that one fight was captured on video from Murray Hill Park. A witness told police Madison and Conner exchanged words on Post Street the night of the shooting and three shots were fired.

Madison’s record includes prior violent incidents dating back to 2022, including charges for domestic battery, aggravated assault with a firearm, battery, carrying a concealed firearm, and discharging a firearm in public. Community leaders called the killing devastating and urged public assistance to prevent further youth violence. Does anyone have information about Blaise Conner’s movements that evening or about the feud leading up to the shooting?