Nearly 600 guns have been reported stolen from Jacksonville cars. One was used to kill Caroline Schollaert

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Guns that are stolen connected the streets of Jacksonville tin beryllium conscionable the commencement of a concatenation of crimes, constabulary say.

At slightest 588 guns person been reported stolen from cars successful Jacksonville truthful acold this year. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said astir of them were taken from unlocked vehicles with hundreds of others taken successful different thefts.

“One weapon stolen retired of a vehicle, retired of a residence, is excessively many,” JSO spokesperson Christian Hancock said.

About 100 guns person been stolen from homes, and astir 250 person been taken successful different thefts, according to JSO.

Hancock said that’s an betterment implicit past year’s numbers.

“We bash a batch of messaging connected our societal media platforms for the 9 p.m. routine,” helium said.

That regular asks radical to fastener their cars, region their valuables and particularly their guns each nighttime astatine 9 p.m.

Data from JSO besides shows hundreds of stolen guns are recovered each year.

“Most of the clip unluckily we are uncovering these guns connected the street, being utilized for amerciable purposes aft it was stolen from somebody’s conveyance oregon somebody’s home,” Hancock said.

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Among those guns is the 1 utilized to termination Caroline Schollaert, a subordinate of the U.S. Coast Guard who was changeable successful Riverside successful August portion attempting to halt a car burglary.

“She’s what everybody would privation their girl to beryllium like. We were each precise arrogant of her,” begetter Pat Schollaert said.

A week later, a 22-year-old antheral was arrested and charged with murder.

According to tribunal documents, a ballistics trial recovered the weapon utilized was reported stolen from an unlocked car successful the aforesaid vicinity 12 days earlier the shooting.

Caroline Schollaert’s begetter told News4JAX helium feels if the weapon hadn’t been truthful accessible she wouldn’t person mislaid her beingness that day.

“I’ve been a weapon proprietor each my beingness and it’s my work to instrumentality attraction of that limb astatine each times,” helium said.

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He would similar to spot radical who person their guns stolen from unlocked cars prosecuted a signifier JSO said it avoids for fearfulness of deterring radical from reporting stolen weapons.

JSO has a programme wherever they volition wage a currency bounty to radical who crook successful guns and crook successful criminals with guns.

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