JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friends and family have identified the 22-year-old woman who was shot and killed inside the Jacksonville Amazon Fulfillment Center as Ebony Nicholas.
On Wednesday, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Disean Biffle and charged him with second-degree murder. A former classmate, who asked not to be identified, told News4Jax that Nicholas and Biffle worked at the warehouse and that they had been dating since high school.
By News4Jax count, Nicholas’ death marks Jacksonville’s 12th domestic-related killing in 2020.
The former classmate said Biffle was off from work Tuesday, the same day the shooting occurred. On that day, Biffle made a post on Instagram with the caption: “Death has no exceptions.”
On Nicholas’ Instagram page, her very last post has been flooded with comments, many reading “RIP.”
“Ebony was really sweet. She was the kind of person if you are going through something and you talk to her, she will make you forget about what you’re going through. And she just had this energy about herself,” the classmate said.
If you go back further on Nicholas’s Instagram page, she tagged Biffle in a Father’s Day post, pictured with her son.
The former classmate says Nicholas posted on her Instagram story Tuesday saying she was “single” and “tired.” This was just days after she had last spoken with Nicholas.
“She told me she was having problems with him,” she said. “I wish that I could’ve done something to help her.”
Sheriff Mike Williams said that in Jacksonville so far this year, there has been a 7.3% increase in overall domestic violence, which includes all relationships, and a 5.3% increase in partner violence.
In April, not long after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the sheriff reported a 20% increase in domestic violence at the time, when many more people were urged to stay and work from home.
A statement from Amazon reads:
“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our employees and we are working with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to implement additional security measures at our site.”
The Hubbard House’s 24-hour Textline is 904-210-3698, and its Hotline is 904-354-3114.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). If it’s not safe for you to call, or if you don’t feel comfortable doing so, another option for getting direct help is to use the live chat service on the National Domestic Violence’s website. his website. Chat is available 24/7.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.
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