Ramon
Taveras plans to move out of Duval County, Florida, after
surviving an attempt on his life last week.
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According to Taveras, armed men drove up to his mother’s house in
Jacksonville, Florida, on July 29 and attempted to kill him.
Taveras also opened fire in defense, footage of which was posted by
the UFC fighter. While Taveras luckily escaped unscathed, he and
his family don’t feel safe in their home any longer.
Taveras revealed that gun violence took his brother’s life in 2019,
and fears he may become a victim of the same. Taveras blamed the
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for alleged negligence towards the
“less fortunate” parts of the city.
According to Taveras, the JSO also tried to blame him for the
recent attempt on his life, accusing him of gang involvement. The
UFC featherweight now plans on moving away from Jacksonville.
Taveras detailed the situation in a post on Instagram:
It’s unfortunate that I even have to make a post like this, but
I cannot let this be swept under the rug. Monday, July 29, 2024, at
10:05 pm, a group of armed men drove up on me at my mother’s house
and tried to take my life. By the grace of God, I made it out with
no injuries and was able to grab my own firearm and return fire in
self-defense.
This city is unforgiving, and it’s worse that JSO does nothing to
correct the problem. I lost my brother in 2019 due to gun violence,
and his killers are yet to be caught. Now I find myself almost in
the same situation.
JSO did the bare minimum for my brother and is now doing the same
for me. They assumed I was targeted due to “gang violence” or a
problem I caused. I don’t bother anyone, I stay in my own lane, I
focus on my career and family. Even after explaining this, they
continued to insinuate that I was involved in something that
brought this outcome upon myself.
Nobody is perfect, and everyone has a past. However, I have
changed significantly from who I was ten years ago. For such an
incident to occur out of nowhere is alarming. It makes me view my
life and family through an entirely different lens. This is a daily
reality in my city; I am not the first, nor will I be the last. I
am tired of remaining silent about my brother’s case, and I refuse
to let this incident slide either. Many other families in my city
have endured similar situations, crying out for justice just as my
family is.
My family feels unsafe, and I fear for my children, who nearly
lost their father the person striving to change their lives. It is
tragic that I have so much love for my city, yet I am compelled to
leave. I will use this situation to speak out against the
ineffectiveness of JSO and their disregard for the less fortunate
parts of the city. They seem indifferent to whether lives are lost
or at risk. I am sick of it! This could have been a memorial post;
I could have lost my life just like my brother, or somebody else
could have lost theirs trying to take mine. I am done being silent.
I ask for your support in spreading this message as far as we
can.”
“I am blessed and happy to be alive, but I’m leaving
Duval.
Taveras scored a split-decision victory against Serhiy
Sidey in his promotional debut at UFC 297 this past January,
avenging a loss to Sidey on Dana White’s Contender Series in
September 2023. Taveras was scheduled to make his sophomore Octagon
appearance at UFC 304 in Manchester last month before pulling out
of the event due to what he called a “serious injury.”