John Jefferson
Inset: Justin Golden (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office). Background: Intersection in Jacksonville, Florida, where Golden, allegedly hit his 8-month-old child (WJXT/YouTube).
A Florida man allegedly hit and killed his 8-month-old child with his car after he placed the infant in the middle of a Florida intersection and drove off following an argument with his girlfriend, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The man kept driving but cops quickly found him and arrested him. Paramedics rushed the baby to the hospital where doctors pronounced the infant dead. Now the man, 20-year-old Justin Golden, is facing charges of aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
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The incident occurred around 11 a.m. Saturday at Lenox and McDuff avenues. Jacksonville CW affiliate WJXT talked to a witness who described the scene as chaotic. Markin Barnes told the outlet he was in his barbershop when he heard a woman screaming. He ran outside and was met with a horrible sight.
“The kid was bleeding,” he said. “So we immediately asked did she need help.”
As a father himself, he said it was difficult to see.
“It’s going to be prayers and thoughts for the family,” Barnes said. “It’s rough you know, dealing with kids and young, it’s definitely going to be a traumatic situation.”
A probable cause arrest affidavit was not immediately available so certain facts have yet to be publicly released. For instance it is unclear if Golden ran over the child on accident or if it was on purpose. The infant’s gender also was not revealed. Video from WJXT shows the area to be a well-traveled route. Cops continue to investigate.
“We, with our partners at the State Attorney’s Office, will stop at nothing to get justice for the baby,” the sheriff’s office said.
Golden remains at the Duval County jail without bond. It’s unclear if he has retained an attorney.
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