HomeCrimeGainesville man arrested after allegedly running from officers with a stolen gun

Gainesville man arrested after allegedly running from officers with a stolen gun

January 31, 2024

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Antonio Jarod DeCoursey, 18, was arrested last night and charged with illegal possession of a concealed firearm and resisting an officer without violence after allegedly running from officers who were investigating gunshots heard in the area of NE 31st Avenue and NE 15th Street.

At about 8:25 p.m. last night, a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer who was in the 2900 block of NE 16th Drive heard “numerous” gunshots coming from an area northwest of his position. GPD officers canvassed the area and found four people walking southbound on NE 12th Street. The officer made contact with them in the 3100 block of NE 12th Street.

The officer asked their names and whether they had seen or heard anything unusual, and they provided their names; one said they’d heard gunshots to the north. DeCoursey reportedly told the officer he didn’t hear anything because he was wearing earbuds. The officer noted that DeCoursey positioned himself behind the other three people.

The officer reported that he decided to detain them on reasonable suspicion while he did a “quick patdown”; as soon as he told them he was going to detain them, DeCoursey allegedly ran toward the south. After a short foot pursuit, he was apprehended in the 1200 block of NE 31st Avenue. The other three people were reportedly cooperative.

The officer retraced DeCoursey’s flight path and reportedly found a 9mm Glock 43, an empty holster, and one of the earbuds previously worn by DeCoursey. Another officer reported seeing DeCoursey reaching into his waistband as he ran through the area where the gun was found.

The Glock 43 was reported stolen in October 2023 and reportedly had one round in the chamber and six bullets in the magazine; DeCoursey also reportedly had an empty extended magazine at the time of his arrest.

Witnesses said DeCoursey had fired multiple rounds into the ground, and they helped officers locate eleven 9mm casings near the 3500 block of NE 11th Terrace.

Post Miranda, DeCoursey declined to answer any questions.

DeCoursey has an unspecified juvenile conviction. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $30,000.

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. 

  • I think it is great that this young man is working with law enforcement and helping to get guns off the screets. I just think that the coppers changing the story and making this young man the criminal is exactly what is wrong with system. This young man found a stolen gun and fired the live rounds into the ground to make sure those little death missiles would not fall into the wrong hands. This young man should be honored and celebrated. Instead, he is treated like a criminal and thrown into the pokey.

    • If that was supposed to be funny, I’d advise against you quitting your day job as a loser @ life.

      • Thank you for the advice. Unfortunately I will have to pass on taking your advice. I see exactly where your advice has gotten your son.

  • Another member of the culture of crime. I bet his father is really going to give this young man a real talking to when he gets released?

    • & as his dad, I’m telling you that you are absolutely right. It’ll be like the one your dad gave you about being judgemental towards people that you know nothing about.

      • Mr. DeCoursey, what can we do to help your son make better choices in the future? It seems he’s walking right on the edge of the abyss of the prison system.

      • If you’re his dad you should have taught him how to get a haircut a job and be a responsible adult and if you’re waiting until now you are way too late you start when they are born

        • What does a haircut have to do with anything? That tells me everything I need to know about you & your thoughts about black people. How about you worry about the next school that a white kid is going to shoot up, since we’re stereotyping!

      • Possessing and firing a stolen gun in a residential area…did not face the music. Ya gotta face the music…..

      • But public records paints a beautiful picture of where your son learned his outstanding moral compass skills. It all starts at home and setting a good example

  • Another upstanding citizen in possession of a stolen gun who was firing it into the ground. Police make contact and he runs. I wonder if he was one of recreational shooters in Sweetwater the other day. Again nothing but everyday people living in east gainesville. Sometimes you go to jail and sometimes you get away. I wonder if needs to g Ave his rent lowered so he will not shoot stolen guns.

    • If you really want to know what happened, I’d be more than happy to tell you. Otherwise I’d advise not hiding behind a keyboard selling out.

      • Who’s hiding. Questions for you too answer. Did the young scholar flee from the police? DUH YES. Did witness not say he was in possession of a gun and fired it into the ground? DUH YES. Was the gun not found in the area that he ran plus officers seeing him making furtive movements? DUH, YES. Was the gun not reported stolen in October of 2023? DUH, YES. And finally did he not have a extended pistol magazine in his possession when he was arrested? DUH, YES. Are you saying the police are lying? The witness are Lying? He was not in possession of a stolen gun? He did not have a pistol magazine in his possession? He did not run from the police? This sounds pretty shut and dry to me. Maybe Florida changed the laws overnight? All I know is one wannabe gangster off the streets, another stolen gun is recovered, and at least this time no one got shot or killed by some misguided person.

        • You wanna meet up & talk to me about like a man? Or you wanna stay hidden behind a screen like a scared cat, talking about what you THINK you know? It can happen @ gpd station, if you need to feel safe.

          • Nah. I wouldn’t need one for a coward such as yourself. I’d get more pleasure out of beating on you just to hear you cry like a scared child.

  • 18 year old trying to live a life that only leads to two places.. One he’s visiting now coincidently enough.. These young men need to make better life choices man smh

  • Don’t know if anyone is keeping count, but given the numbers for the month of January, I’d hate to know where we’d be from a statistical standpoint if it weren’t for the equity policies in Gainesville.

  • Why can’t cops just shoot people who run from them? I don’t mean that they should just start doing that, but we should publicize that it will happen. Give plenty of advance notice that the new policy is to shoot anyone running from the cops. NO innocent person ever runs from the cops. GEEZ!!! Less criminals breathing means less crime – PERIOD!

    • Yes if was 100 years ago it would be perfectly acceptable. Now people run from police for reason from committing a crime to just for the fun of it. If law enforcement started that now we as taxpayers will be paying for civil suit after civil suit plus now its just plain against the law without immediate threat to the public or the officer. Police encounters are reactive to what the person is doing. There is a threat chart that details what level of force police can go by. Basically an officers presence at a scene all the way up to lethal force.

    • Just having a judicial system that actually enforced the existing laws, so that these continuing actions had consequences would go a long way toward solving our real problem, despite Ward’s idiotic attempts to deflect attention to his created problem.

    • Our country was founded because of draconian policies of the state. Let us not go back to that.

    • Deja Vu All Over Again….Do you think they are related? If so, crime must run in the family. Both are 18 years old and already criminals with guns. Where are the parents?

      • No, they are not related. & I’m his dad, if you wanna know. Y’all white folks got some real nerve! Anything you wanna know about him, we can meet up & I’ll tell you anything you wanna know about him. But, like most of you white people, I’m sure you’re too scared to even speak to a black person!!

        • Don’t let them get under your skin man (I’m white but it has nothing to do with skin color or with me it don’t anyways) but as a father we can raise our kids and do everything perfectly fine our children get to a point in ther life where they have to make choices for themselves and we all have made mistakes we have all made wrong judgments or choices not one person has gone through life without making the wrong choice or decision I hope that this child learns from his mistake and makes better choices or whatever happened there and make it into a learning experience and I hope this don’t ruin his life I don’t know what happened there that day ( I hope who ever reads this has a great day and a peaceful life)

  • Another productive citizen of NE Gainesville. We’ll be supporting this useless POS for the rest of his life or until he gets killed by someone.

    • First of all, I’m sure your mom probably is that SAME pos that you say my son is. & I’m sure your dad wished she would have opened her mouth, instead of carrying trash like YOU around & polluting the world with your presence. Wanna meet up & talk about it?

  • If only Republican YAF, 4H, ROTC and FFA kids owned guns, what would the crime rate be in America today? 🧐🤔🤗🇺🇸

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