GPD Swarms Downtown After Shots Fired
On June 3rd, 2023, at around 11:27 pm, the Gainesville Police Department got multiple different calls across Downtown saying there were shots fired. The first call consisted of someone screaming that someone was shot while the second said the same thing before disconnecting. Although police audio indicates nobody was shot, it was far from a peaceful night for Gainesville residents Downtown.
A few minutes after receiving the first calls about a shooting GPD got another call from a woman saying nobody was shot, however, the woman did say she was being chased by a man who got out of his car as she walked past his vehicle.
About 20 minutes later an officer got eyes on the suspect. The suspect was described as a Black man with long dreadlocks, wearing a white shirt and red shorts. GPD deduced the suspect had either run behind the University club or South of Main Street, causing them to block off both roads. Behind University, one officer was spotted handling a K-9, despite the K-9 unit for GPD being disbanded last March.
video cred. gnvinfo
video cred. gnvinfo
The K-9 unit was disbanded temporarily in March of this year. The change came after Terrell Bradley was severely injured by a K-9 unit, losing an eye in the attack. Although the unit was temporarily disbanded the K-9s’ still remained in the care of their handlers. It is possible the dog was for bomb-sniffing purposes, however, the officer I interviewed refused to provide insight into this.
Last year the Gainesville Police Department released a report titled “K9 Injury and Demographics”, revealing K-9 units injured Black suspects at a disproportionate rate compared to other races. From January 2016 to July 2022 49 Black men, 2 Black women, 8 White men, and 1 Hispanic man were injured by GPD K-9 units. 21% of Gainesville’s population is Black, showing they were injured at a significantly higher rate per capita compared to other races in Gainesville. This report can be found here.
I called the GPD Office of Public Records in order to gain insight into what happened and they transferred me to the Dispatch Center of Records where I spoke to an officer working in communications. I described the situation and asked if it would be possible to get transferred to an officer who was present last night and he replied “No, it’s not possible.” Despite GPD receiving multiple calls about gunshots, the communications officer went on to say “I don’t see any calls from there and I don’t know who responded last night.” I then reiterated the time the calls were made along with a description of a suspect and the officer stood firm in that he couldn’t find any calls made. After about 8 minutes on the phone, the officer agreed to take my number and give it to an officer who was present that night so they could call me and answer some questions.
GPD Officer Interview:
The following is a transcript of the interview I did with the officer that took my call.
Disclaimer: The audio recording for this interview is heavily garbled on the cop’s end so this interview transcription will contain minor inaccuracies.
Q: I just had some questions about what happened last night Downtown, were you present last night?
A: Uh-huh.
Q: Is it okay if I ask some questions?
A: Depends on the questions you’re asking.
Q: Okay, I just wanted to ask what happened. Everyone has a different idea about what happened and I wanted to get that clarified?
A: Just some crime happened.
Q: What kind of crime?
A: That would be an active record investigation you’d have to do a public records request.
Q: Was anyone shot or injured last night?
A: In that particular area no.
Q: So in other particular areas there were people shot?
A: If you’re talking about what was going on with the UC club, no one was killed.
Q: No one was killed, was anyone injured?
A: Like seriously injured, I don’t know if anyone got their feelings hurt or anything like that but like I said I didn’t check on everything before I went there.
Q: Well I’m not worried if people got their feelings hurt I’m worried about if someone was shot or seriously injured. When you say feelings hurt…(cutoff)
A: No one was mad, there might've been, I don’t know.
Q: Some people were saying that a threat was called into UC and many were concerned it was a hate crime because it was right at the start of Pride month, can you confirm or deny the validity of this?
A: I didn’t hear about anything like that.
Q: Have any arrests been made?
A: Like I said you, can direct questions about active investigations to our public information officer and email him with a public records request.
Q: I just have a hard time doing that sometimes because I’ll call them or email them and they won’t respond.
A: Yeah they have normal business hours throughout the week.
Q: So I saw an officer handling a K-9 and I thought the K-9 unit was disbanded, could you provide insight into this?
A: Nope, for questions like that you can contact our public information officer.
Q: Do you think Gainesville citizens have a right to be concerned by K-9 units considering they disproportionately attack Black suspects at a larger rate than suspects of other races?
A: Do you have any other burning questions I can answer for you bud?
Q: Do you think you could transfer me to a public information officer who’d be able to answer these questions
A: The information officer at the moment is Sergeant Caster and he could provide you with more information if you call him during business hours.
GPD Audio:
Source: Broadcastify
1. Some audio quality is poor and there may be mistakes. Codes have been put in to flag possible inaccuracies:
(GARBLED): I cannot make the audio out.
(?): I have an idea of what they're saying but there are doubts.
2. A lot of audio contains police code. Police code will be marked in bold.
3. Speakers have been associated with numbers, however, they may be incorrect at times.
Audio File: 11:22 pm - 11:52 pm
00:13 Speaker 1: India 6 (GARBLED)
00:22 Speaker 2: Southwest Archer Road 23 21
00:52 Speaker 2: 53rd to Northwest 6th Street 23 21 Alpha 5 10-14
01:13 Speaker 1: 10-4
01:30 Speaker 2: (GARBLED) 25 cars in the parking lot (GARBLED)
01:59 Speaker 1: Bravo 10-50 Quebec Uniform Charlie
02:11 Speaker 2: bravo 5 900 Southeast Terrace
02:49 Speaker 2: 26 10-14
03:47 Speaker 2: Bravo 5 units 10-14
04:13 Speaker 3: 10-6 Can I get one more, please
05:09 Speaker 2: 10-28 channel 1 10-33 channel 35 Southwest 3rd Avenue Southwest 2nd Street India 5 Golf 5 Charlie 6 Signal 23 Sierra Channel 2
05:27 Lifeline Bot: Squad 1, Rescue 30, District 1 Notification
05:40 Speaker 2: Receiving a couple different calls, Someone screaming about someone being shot. The second caller said the same thing and then disconnected.
05:49 Speaker 1: Dispatch to the shooting, law enforcement is not on scene
05:58 (GARBLED)
06:11 Speaker 2: They're trying to get back in contact with the caller
06:16 Speaker 4: Southwest 3 Avenue Southwest 2 Street (GARBLED) responding
06:31 Speaker 1: 10-14 54-14 For now
06:39 Speaker 2: (GARBLED) However they are not yet on scene
06:43 Speaker 4: We have another caller saying something about how she walked over where a vehicle was put and that she was referencing a male came out and started chasing them. Callers said nobody was shot. Someone else is on the line, yelling saying someone said they're being chased.
07:22 Speaker 1: Sierra 7-33 3501 Northeast 15th Street 5 shots heard (GARBLED)
07:32 Speaker 2: One of the callers from the area of Southwest 2nd Place and Southwest 2nd Street is saying that the person chasing the other female at (GARBLED) Foxtrot with a red shirt and a bravo mike.
07:51 Speaker 1: Julliete 6 10-14
07:58 Speaker 4: 527 (GARBLED) 2nd street someone else is pointing out to another officer
08:07 Speaker 1: Oscar (GARBLED) further South (GARBLED) signal 35
08:22 Lifeline Bot: Alpha 5 23-28
08:36 Speaker 1: Signal 35 no Signal 40 No Signal 35's No Signal 45's 22 maybe a 29
08:46 Speaker 2: Additional call someone had a Signal 45 (GARBLED)
08:52 Speaker 4: 10-30 Go ahead and slow everyone down
08:57 Speaker 2: All units slow down (GARBLED)
09:30 Speaker 4: There were shots fired and possibly an assault. Still waiting for the info(?) (GARBLED)
09:41 Speaker 1: Sierra at 743 10-14
09:46 Speaker 4: Northwest 63rd Street Grey sun(?) subdivision 3977 Northwest (GARBLED) Street
10:00 Speaker 3: Now with the subject at Southwest 2nd Street and Southwest 6th Ave, he has more activity down here. Everybody(?) screaming, hollerin', saying they got shot.
10:12 Speaker 1: Oscar 6 talking to the complainant. Him and a group of people were walking towards South Main since their vehicle got towed. They came upon a group behind Lynch Park kinda area. They started talking to them and started chasing them up the road, more of a Signal 29 Assault situation than Signal 35 No Signal Batteries or anything like that.
10:42 Speaker 2: 22
10:47 Speaker 1: Think we can clear traffic
10:49 Speaker 2: 10-4 (GARBLED) 10-33 advised (?)
11:07 Speaker 2: Channel 1 is clear all units 10-55 back to Channel 1 Channel 1 is primary 23-31
11:28 Speaker 4: Rescue 30 Alachua
11:34 (GARBLED)
13:19 Speaker 3: Alachua Engine 3
13:23 Speaker 4: Engine 3
13:28 Speaker 3: Can we get an ETA on law enforcement we have a female patient who does not speak English, her husband will be coming from Orlando, I mean Ocala. He's on his way and she does not want to be left alone due to the area in which the accident happened, and there's two males in the back, and the other vehicle.
14:13 Speaker 1: Quebec 5 to Quebec 6 Channel 3, please
14:26 (GARBLED)
14:47 Speaker 1: 300 East University Delta Echo 8-9-4-4 come back to a White Honda
14:55 Speaker 2: (GARBLED) 300 East 22-35
15:16 (GARBLED)
15:21 Speaker 3: 10-4
16:05 Speaker 2: 12-03 to 10-14 Mike 5 (?)
16:22 (GARBLED)
16:24 Speaker 2: 16th Ave 16th Street
16:57 Speaker 1: (GARBLED) 10-50
16:58 Speaker 2: Alpha 6
17:04 2000 Waldo Road 50 Foxtrot on a bike
17:08 Speaker 2: Alpha 650 2000 Northeast Waldo 23-38 Oscar 6
17:20 Speaker 1: Go ahead
17:24 Speaker 2: 10-43 Looks like we're getting another car coming in with parties involved there now at 1300 South Main
17:35 Speaker 3: 26
17:42 Speaker 3: 100 Southeast 11th Street Uniform Foxtrot Uniform 7-3 Black Mustang
17:56 Speaker 2: 26-50 400 Southeast 11th Street 22-38
18:18 Speaker 3: (GARBLED) 6th Ave South on 11th Street
18:33 Speaker 2: Alpha 6 10-14
18:58 Speaker 3: Alpha 6 37
19:09 (GARBLED)
19:43 Speaker 4: Rescue 36 15-minute hospital time 23-40 hours
21:25 Speaker 1: Bravo 5 10-50 100 Northeast 2nd street stand by or 28 got a light SUV. November Bravo Quebec Sierra 4-3
21:48 Speaker 2: Bravo 5 (GARBLED) Northeast 2nd street 22-42
21:59 Speaker 1: We're just rolling through the parking lot not sure if we're gonna stop him
22:32 Speaker 2: 11-59
22:39 Speaker 3: Coming to you(?) Right up the road (GARBLED)
22:59 Speaker 2: 11-59
23:15 Speaker 1: (GARBLED) Got a zero
23:21 Speaker 2: 10-30 Channel 1 10-33
23:22 Speaker 1: Westbound First ave bravo Mike white shirt red pants, Southbound going out towards University, he's got a zero in his hands
23:30 Speaker 2: How many in Channel 2
23:41 Speaker 1: Alpha 6 10-14
23:43 Speaker 3: What's the description
23:46 Speaker 1: Long dreads, white shirt, red pants, going Southbound towards University probably at First Street
24:15 (GARBLED)
24:19 Speaker 1: 11-59 I'm out with Channel 1 call
24:42 Speaker 1: Bravo Mike, we need to put a medium to large build. White T-Shirt, Red shorts, long dreads
24:59 Speaker 3: I was right there between Main Street and 1st Street on University when you called it out I didn't see him break.
25:08 Speaker 4: Probably back behind UC he might've turned right there between the buildings so get somebody there on Main.
25:19 Speaker 1: 26 10-4
25:55 (GARBLED)
26:17 Speaker 5: Alachua Rescue 36 for available
26:20 Speaker 1: All 5 Channel 3
26:52 Speaker 4: (GARBLED) He was last seen running Westbound on First Avenue, he cut South, we're not 100% sure whether he made it to Main or not but either he went in between and back behind UC or he made it to Main and went South.
27:15 Speaker 5: The alley behind UC is clear right now we're gonna talk to the people in the back to see if they saw anything
27:24 Speaker 3: Alachua Engine 3. Debris has been removed from the roadway (GARBLED)
27:56 Lifeline Bot: Rescue 33 Engine 25 Breathing problem
28:26 Speaker 1: Mike 5 10-14
28:31 Speaker 5: Oscar 6 we've got one detained, active UC club with (GARBLED) from over here
28:43 Speaker 4: Engine 25 responding
28:45 Speaker 1: 11-89 10-14 on 2
28:51 Speaker 1: Bravo 5 I'm 26(?) Were finishing detaining the other people who walked over
29:06 Speaker 5: Mike 5 10-14 and 10-4
29:37 Speaker 2: Rescue 33 Engine 25 respiratory distress 1001 (GARBLED)
29:57 Speaker 4: Oscar 6 and 10-5 checking for the zero, he's not zero right now. We'll go for him(?) and figure it out.
30:07 Speaker 1: 10-4 on the ID
30:23 Speaker 3: Did you find the Signal zero
30:25 (GARBLED)
30:44 Speaker 4: Alright what I need is I need help with officers just blocking off this back parking lot and 1st Avenue right now and I'll an article search at the track point(?) to see if he's in the parking lot somewhere
31:06 Speaker 2: 22 we need to block off the back parking lot and 1st avenue
31:12 Speaker 4: Just from Main to 1st Street and don't let any pedestrians in here just block it off for me so its not a (GARBLED)
