Duval County Gun Violence Incidents 2014 -2020

Gun violence claims the lives of more than 30,000 individuals each year in the United States. In its most current data report investigating gun-related incidents, statistics from the CDC found three-quarters of these deaths were classified as murder by a firearm. Compared to the national level, Florida is identified as the 26th highest producer of gun violence in the country. Among its 67 counties, Duval County generates the leading rate of gun deaths, with the City of Jacksonville at its epicenter. The purpose of this study was to create a crime analysis package investigating the micro and macro level variables associated to gun violence crime that has produced fatalities in Duval County between 2014 and February 2020. The study also aimed to investigate zip code 32209, which has the most repeated shooting cases in Jacksonville each year. This poster was created as a project for GIS 4100. This directed applied research project is a collaboration between the Department of Geography and Anthropology and the Center for Sustainable Journalism. GIS analysis functions were implemented to identify the spatial relationships between geography and gun violence trends. These methods included a Kernel Analysis, Multiple Ring Buffer Analysis, Choropleth Analysis, and Directional Distribution Analysis. Conclusively, the region that produced the majority of gun violence crime linked to fatalities was found in the Jacksonville West subdivision. The significance of this research confirms there are strong spatial correlation patterns that include poverty, police station proximity, and metropolitan infrastructure that influence the location where majority of gun violence takes place