Downtown nightclub stabbing suspect arrested

Staff report

MICANOPY, Fla. – Rance James Shannon, 33, of Micanopy, was arrested this morning and charged with attempted murder after being identified as the suspect in a stabbing in a downtown Gainesville nightclub on August 31.

At about 10:55 p.m. on August 31, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a report that a man had been stabbed at the LIT nightclub and bar (211 W. University Avenue). Officers confirmed that the victim had been stabbed nine times, and the victim was transported to UF Health Shands with life-threatening injuries. Officers also reported a large amount of blood on the floor and wall on the stairwell platform at the nightclub, and there was more blood on the sidewalk outside.

The victim reportedly said he had been on the dance floor at the club and got into an argument with the suspect, who said, “You can’t whoop me” in a Hispanic accent. He said the suspect punched him, other people separated the two men, and he walked toward the stairs to leave the nightclub. He said the suspect hit him “hard” in his back, then he fought with the suspect at the stairs. He said he punched the suspect in the head multiple times and also kicked the suspect in the head. He said that during the fight, he noticed that he was covered in blood, ran out of the nightclub, and made contact with officers, who provided life-saving first aid. The victim said he never saw a knife.

A witness reportedly told the officer that the victim had been involved in a fight at the nightclub and that he helped break up the fight before the victim ran outside. He described the suspect as a tall bearded white man who was wearing a white baseball cap.

A second witness reportedly told the officer that a fight had broken out in the nightclub and described the suspect as a muscular white male wearing a black shirt, jeans, and a hat.

An officer spoke with the owner of the nightclub, and during the interview, they found a credit card with the name “Rance J. Shannon” next to the cash register at the upstairs bar. The upstairs bar is in front of the dance floor where the initial fight occurred.

On September 1, an anonymous person called the Combined Communications Center and reported that a man had been seen burning bloody clothes at a duplex in Micanopy the previous night. The caller said the man said he had already killed a man “last night” and also that he was going to kill a man with a knife. The man was described as a white man, but the caller did not know his name. The caller also said a white Jeep was parked outside the man’s home.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies went to that home on September 1, but at that time, Shannon had not been identified as a suspect in the stabbing investigation. Deputies reportedly made contact with Shannon and his girlfriend, who were getting into the white Jeep. A deputy reported that Shannon had a noticeable black eye and a large beard and that he speaks both Spanish and English. Shannon reportedly denied being in a fight or burning anything, but he showed deputies his back yard, and deputies reported that there is a burn pit in the back yard.

The victim reportedly positively identified Shannon as the suspect in a photo line-up.

A warrant for Shannon’s arrest was issued on September 6, with Judge William Davis ordering that Shannon be held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial.

Shannon has five state felony convictions, four state misdemeanor convictions, and three federal convictions on drug and firearm charges, stemming from a 2018 arrest in Gainesville.

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.