GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A man was shot in the leg and he and his daughter were robbed outside her apartment complex in Gainesville, according to police.
The man, 63, and his 25-year-old daughter were working on her car near the entrance of Hidden Village on SW 27th Avenue when a man tried to break into the car, police said.
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The father confronted the man and when he refused to leave, the father hit the man on the head with a flashlight.
That's when the man pulled out a gun and shot the father in the leg, then stole the father's wallet, the daughter's purse and cellphone, and the purse and necklace of another woman who was nearby when the incident occurred, police said.
The robber is described as a black man with a large build, wearing a light-colored T-shirt and dark pants. Gainesville police released a sketch Friday of the man being sought and are asking for the public's help in identifying him.
When police arrived, the daughter was on the ground next to her father, trying to stop the bleeding from his gunshot wound. Officers applied a department-issued tourniquet to the father's upper right thigh to try to stop the bleeding, and EMS arrived shortly after and took the victim to the Shands ER.
Police set up a perimeter and a K-9 team tried to track the robber but couldn't find him. The investigation is continuing.
There were multiple people around when the robbery occurred, police said, and the robber reportedly told the victims to "give it up and nobody gets hurt."
In response to this incident and other recent robberies, the Gainesville Police Department is working on a Comprehensive Robbery Prevention Plan, which will aim to reduce and prevent violent robberies in Gainesville.
The plan will use different techniques, including crime forecasting and crime prevention information and public education.
Anyone who has information is asked to call GPD's Detective Division at 352-393-7670. Police said tipsters can also text keyword "GPDFL" plus their tip to 274637 to provide anonymous information.