Investigators say three people struck by gunfire were unintended targets as detectives work to identify at least two suspected shooters.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Detectives are seeking witnesses and cellphone video as they investigate a shooting outside an Arlington-area Halloween party that killed 17-year-old Talisse Patterson and injured two other people who police say were not involved in the dispute that preceded the gunfire.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened early Sunday in the 6200 block of Arlington Expressway as a crowd waited to enter a party. Investigators said an argument developed among people in the area before shots were fired. Patterson and the two surviving victims appeared to have been unintended targets, according to police.
Officers were dispatched at about 1:42 a.m. and found Patterson and another person who had been shot. Patterson died. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department crews took the second victim to a hospital, while investigators later learned that a third person had gone to a hospital separately after being wounded. Police said the surviving victims were in stable condition and expected to recover.
Investigators believe at least two suspected shooters approached the area on foot. Police initially described them as young Black males wearing dark clothing. Authorities have not publicly released their names, and no arrests had been announced as of Wednesday. Detectives also have not publicly identified the dispute’s participants or said what led to the confrontation.
The number of people gathered outside the party has become a major focus of the investigation. Jacksonville police said numerous witnesses may have seen the confrontation or recorded portions of it on their phones. Investigators have sought firsthand accounts and video that could help establish the sequence of events and identify those responsible for firing the shots.
The shooting was one of two unrelated outbreaks of gunfire connected to Halloween parties in Jacksonville early Sunday. About two hours later, police responded to a separate house party on West Fifth Street where a 20-year-old man was killed and nine other people were wounded. Authorities have said the two shootings were not connected.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters responded to the weekend violence by saying investigators would work to hold those responsible accountable. In the Arlington case, police have emphasized that Patterson and the other two people who were shot were not believed to have been participants in the argument. That finding has made identifying the people who exchanged gunfire a central question for detectives.
Patterson’s identity became public as people who knew her began sharing memories of the teenager. Clifton Collins, who coached her for three years at Springfield Middle School, remembered her as a student who helped classmates and tried to keep others on track. Friends also described Patterson as cheerful and kind, adding a personal dimension to a case police initially discussed without naming the teenager who died.
The investigation remains unresolved. Authorities have not announced a motive beyond the dispute that preceded the shooting, and they have not said whether detectives have identified either suspected shooter. Police continue to seek information and recordings from people who were present outside the party as they work to determine who fired the shots that killed Patterson.
Author note: Last updated November 4, 2026.