UPDATE JANUARY 4:
Tallahassee Police Department posted the following update regarding this case to social media Thursday morning.
"Following the preliminary autopsy report and additional evidence collected on scene, detectives believe the manner of death is a homicide. As of now, this investigation remains open and active and no arrests have been made. No additional details are able to be released at this time."
ORIGINAL STORY:
- A man was found injured on Osceola Street around 2:15 a.m. New Year's morning. He died on the scene.
- Tallahassee Police originally was investigating this as a homicide. They now say the death could have been caused by fireworks.
- Two neighborhood activists hope to see gun violence slow down as the new year begins.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A man died here in the first two hours of 2024. Police are investigating if it was a homicide or just an accident.
A man died on Osceola street on New Year’s Day morning.
Police now say fireworks could have been behind the death.
Neighbor Taelethia Edwards said she was devastated to hear about what happened in her neighborhood, the Greater Bond Community.
"We woke up this morning and saw the news and I was like 'Oh my God, let's not start the year off like that,'" Edwards said.
She saw TPD's social media and news alerts that said the man was found laying in the street around 2:15 a.m.
He died on the scene.
TPD originally announced that it was the result of a shooting, but later said investigators quote "determined this was possibly an accidental death caused by fireworks."
Edwards said it's:
"Always sad when there is a death, but when the facts unfold and maybe it wasn't gun violence, very unfortunate, but promising that all of these efforts are coming together to reduce this gun violence," Edwards said.
Those efforts:
"We have the city-wide prayer where pastors from all across the city get together," Edwards said.
One of the leaders involved with that intitiative: Dr. Judy Mandrell.
She is a leader at the Dream Builders Church and started the city-wide prayer.
She said there has been progress, but we still have a lot to do.
"We have been consistent for a year. You know how sometimes it takes some times to get things to work," Mandrell said. "We are praying and hoping that 2024 won't have as many gun violence shootings or death."
She said she is relieved to see that there is a possibility that guns were not involved.
"If it was because of the fireworks, we believe the end of the year was peaceful in Tallahassee and we believe it's because of prayer," Mandrell said.
Edwards said efforts like hers are making a difference.
"Let's continue," Edwards said. "Everybody that's working on reducing this gun violence, let's keep doing what we're doing."
She said the community also needs to raise awareness on firework safety.
"It's the bicentennial, there will be lots of firework shows and there is some opportunity around education on fireworks and how to use them," Edwards said.
TPD announced that an autopsy will be performed on the body to determine the cause of death.
