Gainesville man arrested in drive-by shooting near Cascades Apartments

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Devin Terrell Freeman, 23, was arrested yesterday and charged with attempted murder and discharging a firearm in public for allegedly shooting from a vehicle outside Cascades Apartments.

Gainesville Police Department officers responded to 925 SW 4th Avenue at about 6:09 p.m. on October 23 after receiving multiple calls about shots fired from a vehicle that was stationary in the street. Officers found four 9mm shell casings in the street and three bullet impacts, one on the building right behind the victim.

Several witnesses reportedly described the incident as a drive-by shooting; they said a small dark-colored vehicle stopped in the street and the front passenger got out and exchanged words with the victim, who was about 100 feet away. They said the suspect got back into the vehicle after the exchange, closed the door, and fired shots at the victim, then the vehicle sped away. The witnesses said the victim did not appear to have a gun and did not return fire. The victim quickly retreated back into the apartment building after the incident and did not contact police.

Police were able to track the victim to a friend’s apartment at Cascades. The victim was reportedly reluctant to talk at first but eventually said the shooter was his co-worker; two days earlier, the victim said, the two were working together when the shooter claimed to be a member of the Crips. The victim said he called his co-worker out on that statement because he did not believe the man was a “real Crip.” He said his co-worker became angry, and they got into two separate physical fights during the rest of their shift.

The victim said that after he got off work, the co-worker and his girlfriend confronted him in the parking lot of their workplace, and they almost got into a third physical fight. The co-worker and his girlfriend eventually left, but the victim said a rock was thrown through the rear windshield of his car.

The victim said he didn’t hear from the co-worker over the next few days, then the co-worker called him from his girlfriend’s phone, telling him to “come outside” to “settle this.” The victim said he went outside, expecting another fist fight, but his co-worker kept trying to get him to come closer to the car, which was stopped in the middle of the street. The victim said he realized the co-worker likely had a gun; after more words were exchanged, the victim said, the co-worker got back in the car, fired several shots at him, and drove away. The victim said the car was driven by Freeman’s girlfriend. The victim provided the co-worker’s name and phone number and positively identified him in a photo line-up the next day.

Freeman was located several hours later and arrested following a traffic stop. The officer noted that the gun was in plain view in the car when Freeman was pulled over.

Post Miranda, Freeman declined to answer questions.

Post Miranda, Freeman’s girlfriend reportedly admitted driving the vehicle during the incident but said she did not know Freeman was going to shoot the victim and that she was “shocked” when Freeman did that.

Freeman has one misdemeanor conviction (none violent). Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $2.1 million.

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.