Alleged shooter arrested and charged with attempted homicide of paralyzed Buchholz student

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jose E. Galindo, 23, of Dade City, has been arrested and charged with attempted homicide and armed robbery after allegedly shooting a Buchholz student, who is now paralyzed, during an armed robbery that his brother and a friend had allegedly planned for a month.

 Yasin Kamel Al’olabi, 17, and Bryan Galindo Vega, 16, Galindo’s brother, were previously arrested and charged as adults in the same incident.

At about 2:35 p.m. on October 5, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to The Oaks (6519 W. Newberry Road) and found a 17-year-old victim in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his upper body. The bullet was later found to be lodged in his spine, and the victim is permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

At the hospital, the victim reportedly told an officer he had arranged to meet Galindo Vega to sell him “carts” (THC vape cartridges); he said he knew Galindo Vega from school and that Galindo Vega had been trying to buy the vape cartridges for about four weeks.

The victim reportedly said that while he and Galindo Vega were standing outside his car discussing the transaction, he told Galindo Vega to pay him for the cartridges, and Galindo Vega took his cell phone out of his pocket. The victim said he saw that the phone was actively on a phone call, and at the same time, Al’olabi and another suspect, now identified as Galindo, came out of the bushes wearing ski masks and ran toward him. The victim said he realized he’d been set up, pushed Galindo Vega up against his car, and started hitting him; at the same time, the victim said, Galindo Vega was trying to grab the bag of cartridges from his hand.

The victim said that as the two masked suspects approached, he saw that one of them, now identified as Galindo, had a small blue handgun, and that suspect shot him in the shoulder at close range. The victim fell to the ground, where he said the suspects rummaged through his pockets and stole his cell phone, car key, and wallet, along with the vape cartridges. A .22 caliber shell casing was reportedly found on the ground next to the victim’s car.

A witness reportedly told an officer that he heard a gunshot, looked outside, and saw three people huddled over the victim on the ground; two of them were wearing ski masks. The witness said that when the three suspects saw him, they ran southbound on a trail.

During a proffer on October 28 with Al’olabi, Al’olabi reportedly said under oath that Galindo Vega’s brother drove them to The Oaks on the day of the incident and Galindo Vega gave his handgun to his brother when they got there. He said he and Galindo Vega’s brother hid in the bushes until the vape cartridge transaction took place, and then he and Galindo Vega’s brother ran up to the victim, who was fighting with Galindo Vega. Al’olabi reportedly said that Galindo Vega’s brother shot the victim, then they took the victim’s belongings and Galindo Vega’s brother stomped on the victim’s neck before they fled. He said that as they were running away, Galindo Vega’s brother kept saying, “I shot him in the back.” He said he only knew the suspect as Galindo Vega’s older brother.

On January 17, during a proffer with Galindo Vega, Galindo Vega reportedly said under oath that he and Al’olabi had planned to rob the victim for about three or four weeks. He said that on the morning of the robbery, he and Al’olabi were playing an online game and talking over microphones when his brother overheard them and wanted to join them. Galindo Vega reportedly said Galindo was with them during the robbery and that he was the shooter. He said his brother was living with him before the robbery but left Gainesville after the incident.

Galindo has been formally charged with attempted felony murder and armed robbery, both with the enhancement of discharging a firearm resulting in great bodily harm, making them 10-20-Life offenses.

A warrant for Galindo’s arrest was issued the same day, and he was arrested in Dade City and transported to Alachua County. He has one misdemeanor conviction; Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.

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.