Gainesville man charged with attempted murder in August 29 Highland Court Manor shooting

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jalen Bernard Kelsey Patterson, 29, was arrested yesterday on a warrant for attempted first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; he was previously named as the suspect in a shooting on August 29 in the Highland Court Manor neighborhood.

Gainesville Police Department officers responded to calls about shots fired in the 2900 block of NE 10th Drive at 6:15 a.m. on August 29. The investigation found that two victims were sitting in a car outside the female victim’s residence when a man came out of the bushes and pulled open the driver’s door, saying, “I told you I’d catch you” and asking where his stuff was. The male victim said the man pointed something at him, which he believed to be a gun inside a black sock, then said, “Give it up” and reached into his pants in an apparent attempt to rob him.

The female victim reportedly got between the male victim and the man, saying, “No,” “What are you doing?” and “He’s giving me money for my anklet.” The report noted that this was apparently a reference to the female victim’s GPS ankle monitor. The male victim told officers that he didn’t know the man but that the female victim appeared to know the man. The female victim reportedly tried to separate the man and the male victim, and the gun went off during the struggle. The female victim fell to the ground and said she was shot in the face.

The male victim said the man continued pointing his gun at him, repeatedly racking the slide; he said he believed the gun had jammed and that the man was trying to clear it so he could shoot again. The female victim got up, and the male victim drove away. The male victim said the female victim called him on the phone as he drove away, and he could hear the man in the background; he said the conversation he overheard reinforced his belief that the female victim knew the man.

The male victim reportedly identified Kelsey Patterson as the shooter in a photo line-up. The car had a bullet hole on the driver’s side, and the male victim stated that he believed Kelsey Patterson would have shot him if the gun had not jammed.

Officers learned from witnesses that the female victim and Kelsey Patterson had been in a dating relationship for several months. A witness inside the female victim’s residence said he heard the gunshot, grabbed his gun, then went outside, where he saw the female victim with Kelsey Patterson. He said the female victim had a gash on her face. Two people who had been inside the residence told Kelsey Patterson he needed to leave; as he tried to follow the female victim into the residence, she gave a gun in a sock to one of the witnesses, telling Kelsey Patterson he could not have it. Kelsey Patterson left a short time later. Both witnesses said they knew Kelsey Patterson and were able to identify him in a photograph.

The female victim, who sustained a graze wound to her cheek, reportedly told officers that she was sitting in the car with the male victim when a man came out of the bushes with a gun and a sock in his hand. She said the man opened the car door and said, “Give it up,” then the gun went off and she got shot. She reportedly said the man was not Kelsey Patterson, but the officer noted that he believed she was providing inaccurate information in an attempt to protect Kelsey Patterson.

Kelsey Patterson has five felony convictions (none violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in April 2023. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $4,000,000.

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.