GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A woman who was taking her kids to school said she saw the shooter open fire, which led to him being killed in a shootout with Gainesville police.
Two officers suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to the Gainesville Police Department.
The woman who saw the scene said she was in shock.
“Crazy, crazy, like this is insane, this legitimately, this is crazy,” Tina Days said. “And at 8 in the morning, my first thought was, ‘Who starts shooting this early in the morning?’ Like literally, you aren’t taking any consideration of people. This is a busy highway, so buses had to be rerouted, people going to work and it caused so much traffic. My main concern is that you aren’t worried about anybody else’s safety. This is crazy.”
Police Chief Nelson Moya said at 7:56 a.m., officers responded to reports of shots fired on E. University Avenue, near Waldo Road.
Nearby officers went to the scene and spotted the identified suspect in a red car and tried to stop the driver, who then got out of the car and started firing on the officers. Additional officers responded and shot the suspect, killing him.
“...absolutely assaulted our officers and met them with gunfire in an ambush-style attack,” Moya said. “Our officers, by the grace of God, were able to engage the suspect in a violent exchange of gunfire, resulting in the death of the assailant who passed on scene.”
While conducting their investigation, officers found the body of another person with gunshot wounds in the Imeca Lumber & Hardware store.
Moya said the suspect entered the store after parking behind a nearby KFC, walked over to the lumber yard, shot the victim, and went back to his car in an attempt to flee.
The police chief said they currently don’t know the relationship between the shooter and the victim, but they do know that he acted with “clear intent.”
The two officers who were shot were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Moya said.
“I’ve since met with them and their families to express my gratitude for their heroism and their actions today, which resulted, not only in them, in essence, neutralizing somebody who was out to commit murder, but also ensuring that the rest of our public was safe.”
Art Forgey, the public information officer of the Gainesville Police Department, spoke to News4JAX anchor Jen Waugh on her 10 a.m. streaming show on News4JAX+.
“Nobody wants to be involved in this situation and we’re just happy that our officers are okay,” Art Forgey, the public information officer of the Gainesville Police Department, said.
See the full phone interview with Forgey below.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains active and there is “no active threat to the public.”
A spokesperson with the University of Florida told News4JAX this incident is not affecting operations at the university, nor are any of their officers involved.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will also respond to the scene to investigate.
News4JAX has a crew enroute to the scene and will provide more updates as they become available.