Darryl Mack

Darryl Mack was a 19-year-old Black man with a bright smile and a future full of promise. He was one of seven siblings and was known by his family for his modesty and his remarkable talent on the football field. Having played since he was five years old, Darryl was a dedicated cornerback for the Mandarin High School Mustangs in Jacksonville, Florida. His ambition was captured in his Twitter profile description: "Starving for greatness. Nothing less. I won't meet you there. I'll beat you there." Just one month before his death, in May 2017, he had graduated from high school. His family later created a small memorial in their home filled with his pictures, trophies, diploma, and football banner. A hardworking young man, Darryl had already started a job at a nursing home after graduation. He had dreams of playing college football and was set to attend Alabama Prep in the fall, with hopes of eventually transferring to a larger university. Friends and family remembered him as a good kid with immense potential. "No one has anything bad to say about Daryl," one friend recalled.

On the night of Saturday, June 24, 2017, Darryl Mack spoke to his mother around 9 p.m., telling her he was going to pick up a friend. He was driving his mother's SUV and was with a couple of friends after leaving a party on Jacksonville's Northside. Shortly after midnight, in the early hours of Sunday, June 25, police responded to a call about a person being shot in the 9400 block of Lem Turner Road. When they arrived, they found Darryl in the driver's seat of the SUV, which was stopped in the middle of the road about three blocks north of the Ribault River. He had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. The back window of the vehicle had two visible bullet holes. At 2 a.m., Darryl's mother received the devastating phone call that her son had been killed.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office immediately launched a homicide investigation. Detectives and evidence technicians spent hours processing the vehicle and the surrounding area on Lem Turner Road, which was closed to traffic. Investigators stated their belief that the shots were fired from the east side of the roadway. The windshield of another car parked nearby was also damaged by gunfire, though police did not officially confirm it was from a bullet. Family members told reporters they believed Darryl was not the intended target and had been caught in crossfire, simply finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police interviewed a couple of witnesses at the scene but did not immediately identify any leads or a suspect.

In the days and weeks that followed, Darryl's heartbroken family and friends pleaded for justice. "He was a good kid. He didn’t deserve this at all," his cousin, Paul Maple, said. Michelle Banks, a friend whose son grew up playing football with Darryl, expressed a desire for closure for his parents: "I just want clarity. I want his mom and his dad to get justice. They need to find out who did this." The community mourned the loss of the promising young athlete. His funeral was held on July 1, 2017, at Emanual Missionary Baptist Church, where dozens of loved ones, including many young people, gathered to honor his life. His sister, Ciera Mack, remarked on the large number of young attendees, hoping that her brother's tragic death would encourage them to "make better choices and decisions."

The family's profound grief was compounded by the lack of answers. They begged the community to break the "code of silence" and come forward with any information that might help investigators. "It won’t bring him back," said Darryl's great-aunt, Vivian Pinkney, "but it will give us a little closure." The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office publicly urged anyone who knew what happened to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

As of January 2018, Darryl Mack's murder was one of 85 unsolved homicides from the previous year in Jacksonville, a city where 70% of homicides in 2017 remained without an arrest. His case is a painful example of a young life full of potential cut short by senseless gun violence, leaving a family and a community searching for answers and accountability. No arrests have ever been announced in connection with his death.

The investigation into the homicide of Darryl Mack remains open. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information about the crime to contact them at 904-630-0500 or via email at [email protected]. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS (8477), and callers may be eligible for a cash reward.