A vigil is planned after a 4-year-old girl died and two relatives remained hospitalized.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Neighbors on Traci Lynn Drive are mourning a 4-year-old girl killed Tuesday after police said her father shot her, her 2-year-old sister and their mother outside a home in Jacksonville’s Highlands neighborhood.
The shooting left Harmoni Reed dead at the scene and sent her mother, Brianna Johnson, 27, and sister, Rhythm Reed, 2, to hospitals with life-threatening injuries. Police said the case began as a domestic dispute and quickly became a homicide investigation on a street where residents said children often played outside.
Officers were called to the home just before 5 p.m. Tuesday and found the three victims with gunshot wounds. Neighbor Micahel Gorman said he heard shots while working from home, brought his wife inside and then ran over to see whether he could help. “It’s like time stopped,” Gorman said, describing the mother on the porch and a grandmother holding a child.
Another neighbor, identified as Dee, said she looked outside after hearing the shots and saw the shooter speed away. Police later said investigators believe Trudale Reed, 29, had been arguing with Johnson outside the home before firing multiple rounds and leaving in a stolen SUV. Detectives said there were no known witnesses at first who could explain a motive.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Chief of Investigations Michael Paul said the death of a child weighs heavily on officers and residents. “It’s tough for investigators, and it’s tough for the neighborhood,” Paul said. Police said they had responded to past domestic dispute calls involving the mother and Reed, though officials did not release further details about those calls.
Residents said the shooting broke the sense of safety on the block. Gorman said families on the street know one another and look out for children. Neighbor Ella Bedwell helped organize a vigil for 7:30 p.m. Friday at 11017 Traci Lynn Drive, saying the loss hit close to home because her daughter is the same age as Harmoni.
Reed was taken into custody about 20 minutes after the shooting, police said. Johnson and Rhythm remained hospitalized with life-threatening injuries as of the latest family update. The neighborhood’s next public moment of mourning is the Friday evening vigil.
Author note: Last updated July 3, 2026.