OAKLEAF PLANTATION, Fla. – A union leader for Jacksonville bus drivers accused of shooting his estranged wife is being held without bond at the Clay County jail.
Dwayne Maurice Russell, 47, appeared before a judge Thursday morning to face a charge of attempted murder in the Wednesday morning shooting of his soon-to-be ex-wife at their Oakleaf Plantation home.
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No bond was set for Russell, who has hired a private attorney to represent him in the case.
Clay County deputies answering a call about a shooting at a home on Hawksmore Drive about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday found the victim inside, according to a copy of Russell’s arrest report. She was able to identify her shooter despite having three gunshot wounds — to her neck, chest and abdomen, the report said.
The Sheriff’s Office has not named the shooting victim but said she was undergoing surgery as of Wednesday afternoon. A neighbor who did not wish to be identified said she spoke to the couple’s son, who confirmed his mother was in critical but stable condition at the hospital.
It was while deputies were at the hospital that they learned Russell had turned himself in to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, according to the report. The report stated that an emotional Russell told deputies that he and the victim got into a dispute May 9 that led to him being served with an injunction two days later.
Russell added that he and the victim stayed in touch through texts. He said they discussed the option of counseling and he went to the home Wednesday to follow up on their discussion. Once he arrived at the home, however, he found his belongings had been packed up. The report said he acknowledged shooting the victim.
Court records show Mildred Russell, who lives at the home, obtained a domestic violence injunction last year against Dwayne Russell, who shares the same address. An incident report from March shows deputies were called to a disturbance at that home, but due to lack of physical evidence, no arrests were made.
In another court filing on Monday, Mildred Russell wrote about an incident Saturday night, saying, “My soon to be ex-husband followed me without my knowledge ... speed-chased me down the road, trying to run me off the road. I was in fear for my life.”
Mildred Russell said she went to the police department and her husband went to their home and spray-painted things in the house. Photos of spray-painted furniture and wallpaper were provided in the document. “He has two guns in the home and I’m really scared for my life. He is getting out of control," she wrote.
According to her notes, a final hearing in their divorce was scheduled for June 3.
Dwayne Russell is president of the local chapter of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents JTA drivers.
“I am extremely shocked. I never knew they had issues to this extreme,” said James Walker, Dwayne Russell’s co-worker and neighbor of 15 years. "They were both pretty outgoing people. They were decent. They kept to themselves. They were easy to get along with.”
The JTA released a statement after learning of Dwayne Russell’s arrest:
Stacey O’Brien, director of domestic violence services at the Quigley House, Clay County’s domestic violence shelter, said they are seeing a jump in violence calls of all kinds. That follows a nationwide increase in domestic violence after stay-at-home orders kept people in close proximity for long periods of time.
“The calls have been more lethal. The situations are scarier for the survivors ... more of a chance that something lethal could happen,” said O’Brien.
Resources for domestic violence victims are available throughout Northeast Florida
- Hubbard House (Baker and Duval counties): hubbardhouse.org or 904-354-3114
- Family Life Center (Flagler County): familylifecenterflagler.org or 386-437-3505
- Micah's Place (Nassau County): micahsplace.org or 904-225-9979
- Betty Griffin Center (St. Johns County): bettygriffincenter.org or 904-824-1555
- Quigley House (Clay County): quigleyhouse.org or 904-284-0061
- Lee Conlee House (Putnam County): leeconleehouse.org or 386-325-3141
- Peaceful Paths (Bradford, Alachua & Union counties): peacefulpaths.org or 352-377-8255