19-year-old charged with attempted homicide, pair charged with possession of short-barreled shotgun

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Laron Detron Murphy, 18, and Jordan Tyreek Welch, 19, have been arrested; Welch was charged with attempted homicide, and both men were charged with possession of a short-barreled shotgun. Malachi Ahmad Rosario, 18, was recently arrested for possession of the same short-barreled shotgun, and Rosario’s and Welch’s attempted homicide charges are related to the same suspected gang-related shooting at The Grove at Sweetwater Preserve on March 16.

March 16 shooting at The Grove

At about 8 p.m. on March 16, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers responded to The Grove at Sweetwater Preserve (125 SE 19th Place) after receiving calls about shots fired. Officers reportedly found about 22 shell casings from a rifle (.223/.556) and 9mm pistol in front of a building and confirmed that bullets had hit at least three apartments and two vehicles. Officers reported that the apartments “were occupied with adults and young children who narrowly avoided being struck by the bullets,” but nobody was injured in the shooting.

Video surveillance showed a white sedan driving into the area just before the shooting and then fleeing at a high rate of speed immediately after the shooting.

Investigation into “The South” gang

A GPD Detective had been investigating Murphy and “The South” gang for firearm-related crimes and reportedly found “numerous” photos and videos of Murphy’s friends, including Rosario, holding a shotgun with a sawed-off barrel while visiting Murphy’s home in Lincoln Estates during April. A search warrant was obtained for the home and was served on April 25; the search reportedly produced the same shotgun, and the detective confirmed that its barrel was shorter than the legal length. The search also reportedly produced a Premier Firearms PF-15 AR pistol, and preliminary results from test firing the pistol correlated to the .223/.556 shell casings found on March 16.

Rosario’s arrest and interview

Rosario was arrested during a traffic stop on June 4, and post Miranda, he reportedly admitted he had possessed the short-barreled shotgun while visiting Murphy’s home. Rosario also reportedly said he had been picked up on March 16 by other subjects in a stolen white Volkswagen, and the occupants of the car wore masks and gloves while driving to The Grove at Sweetwater Preserve. When they arrived, they saw a group of people standing near the stairwell of a building, and one of the other subjects identified those people as the intended targets of the people in the car. Rosario reportedly said they parked the car and walked around the building to ambush the “targets” and fired “numerous” rounds of bullets; he reportedly admitted firing the AR pistol on March 16. Rosario and the others then drove back to Lincoln Estates in the stolen car.

The detective noted that there is evidence that the shooting was gang-related and that Rosario and the others in his car, who are associated with the “South,” targeted a group associated with the “Bricks” because of recent issues between the two groups.

Murphy’s arrest and interview

Murphy was arrested at GPD Headquarters on June 10. Post Miranda, he reportedly said the shotgun belonged to Welch and that Welch brought it to his home in Lincoln Estates sometime in March 2025. He reportedly said he allowed the shotgun to remain at his house and did not tell his friend to take the shotgun back; he also admitted handling the shotgun at least once around March 2025. When the detective showed Murphy a video of him and his friends in “joint possession” of the shotgun in Murphy’s back yard, Murphy reportedly confirmed it was the same shotgun found during the execution of the search warrant at his house.

Welch’s arrest and interview

The detective reported that two witnesses said the shotgun belonged to Welch and that he had taken it to Murphy’s home because he was no longer allowed to keep it at his own house.

An unidentified co-defendant who was in the car that went to The Grove at Sweetwater Preserve on March 16 reportedly said that Welch drove the white Volkswagen, and a witness reportedly said that Rosario, Welch, and the unidentified co-defendant had said they were going to shoot someone and later said the shooting was at The Grove.

Welch was also arrested at GPD Headquarters on June 10, about 15 minutes after Murphy’s arrest. Post Miranda, Welch reportedly denied having any part in the shooting.

Murphy has been charged with possession of a short-barreled shotgun. He has one juvenile conviction, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $50,000.

Welch has been charged with possession of a short-barreled shotgun and attempted homicide. He has no criminal history, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.