Xacia Burnem

Xacia Mikia Burnem was an 18-year-old African-American woman with dreams of becoming a doctor. A student at SAL Tech Charter High School in Jacksonville, Florida, she was remembered by her mother, Pamela Williams, as a "good girl that loved to dress up, loved to have fun, be with her family and be around her nieces and nephews." Xacia was smart, loving, and outgoing, known for her funny and goofy personality. At the time of her death, she was pregnant with her first child.

On the evening of Sunday, November 13, 2016, a burst of gunfire erupted in the Moncrief neighborhood of Northwest Jacksonville. The initial call to police came just after 6 p.m. from near the Lil' Albert Food store, across from the Cleveland Arms Apartments on Cleveland Road. According to a survivor, an argument that had started earlier in the day reignited. Xacia was in a car with 22-year-old Kadejah Williams and her three young children when someone approached the vehicle and opened fire. The driver of the bullet-riddled car sped away from the scene, seeking help at a fire station on Myrtle Avenue and Moncrief Road.

When first responders reached the vehicle, Kadejah Williams was pronounced dead. Xacia and Kadejah's 11-month-old son, Tedashi Williams, were rushed to UF Health Jacksonville, but both died from their injuries. Two other people in the car, a man and a woman, were also shot but survived. The mass shooting, which claimed three lives, sent a shockwave through the city. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Sheriff Mike Williams held a press conference, decrying the violence and pleading with the community for information.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) began an intensive investigation. Surveillance video from the area showed a chaotic scene, with people running in fear and at least one man appearing to return fire. The community responded with numerous tips, which helped detectives piece together the events of that night. Three days later, on November 16, a SWAT team surrounded a home on 29th Street in the Moncrief Park area. After a standoff, 21-year-old David Anderson surrendered and was taken into custody.

Police identified Anderson as a person of interest in the triple homicide and said he was Xacia's boyfriend, a claim her mother disputed. Anderson was not immediately charged with the murders. Instead, he was arrested on a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He made his first court appearance on November 17, where a judge set his bond at $1.5 million. His arraignment was scheduled for December 8, what would have been Tedashi Williams's first birthday.

In the years that followed, the case against David Anderson for the murders of Xacia, Kadejah, and Tedashi progressed slowly. Finally, in April 2021, Anderson went to trial. On April 29, 2021, after deliberating for less than two hours, a Duval County jury found him guilty on three counts of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In June 2021, a judge sentenced David Anderson to six consecutive life sentences in prison for his role in the mass shooting.

In the wake of the tragedy, the families of the victims were left to grieve. Xacia’s mother, Pamela Williams, had previously lost a son to gun violence in 2009 in a still-unsolved case. She pleaded for anyone with knowledge of her daughter's killing to come forward. "I just want whoever knows what happened to come forward and tell what actually happened to my child and to the other victims that (were) killed also," she said. GoFundMe pages were created to help both families with funeral expenses. Though an arrest and conviction have brought a measure of legal closure, the profound loss of Xacia Burnem, her unborn child, Kadejah Williams, and baby Tedashi remains a painful scar on the Jacksonville community.