JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – David Venegas has been counting the days—one by one—since his brother, Brandon Venegas, was killed in a hit-and-run.
“The last thing we got was: ‘No leads, no nothing,’” David said.
Police say 40-year-old Brandon, the youngest of three brothers, was killed on Memorial Day behind a Merill Road Walgreens in Arlington.
It’s a night his family relives over and over.
David, who now lives in Wisconsin, said Brandon took a shortcut through that area, a common path for neighborhood residents.
“We’re kind of left here literally with no answers and a lot of broken hearts, you know, an empty home for his daughter and a lot of us,” David said.
Weeks after the incident, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video showing a white mid-sized SUV driving through the area. Authorities believe the vehicle is connected to the hit-and-run.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video showing a white mid-sized SUV driving through the area. (Ben Schubert/News4JAX photojournalist)
David has watched the video “about 10,000” times.
“I have people, my own friends and family — luckily, we have Facebook and social media, so everyone [says], ‘Oh, I think this car looks like this’ and ‘A lot are probably close.’”
The problem, David said, is that the blurry vehicle image is all they have to go on.
“We have a vehicle that’s blurry in 2025,” David said. “[It’s] kind of ridiculous.”
Despite three months passing and not much changing, the family expresses gratitude for the community’s support.
The Venegas family expresses gratitude for the community’s support as they grieve. (Ben Schubert/News4JAX photojournalist)
“Thank you to everyone that’s helped thus far, continue to help,” David said. “If you know something, if you were the one to do it, we want to try and bring closure.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says the case remains an active investigation. They ask anyone with information to contact them at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimetips@jaxsheriff.org.
“We need something,” David said. “I know they have to have more than they’ve shared with us. And it just can’t be a dead end like that.”
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