GPD and UFPD investigate shootings near campus overnight
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Police Department is investigating the shootings of two people near campus just before 3 a.m. this morning.
UF Public Safety sent out alerts starting at 3:25 a.m. regarding armed subjects near campus, advising members of the university community to avoid the area from Union Road to Inner Road and later to avoid the area around the CVS on SW 13th Street near campus.
According to information from the University of Florida Police Department (UFPD), Gainesville Police Department (GPD) notified UFPD at 2:40 a.m. that shots had been fired at 1100 W. University Avenue and that one person had been found with a gunshot injury. Additional shots were fired around 2:55 a.m. near 1200 SW 2nd Avenue, and a second gunshot victim was found at that location.
GPD pursued suspects on foot toward campus along SW 13th Street, but there was a heavy police presence of both GPD and UFPD officers in the area, and GPD believes the suspects fled instead toward downtown Gainesville. The suspects were not located.
UFPD stated, “While the threat of this incident was not directed at the campus community, UF Alerts were sent out of an abundance of caution due to the close proximity of the shootings to the campus. None of the shootings took place on the campus, and no members of the UF community were involved or injured during this incident.”
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Out of an abundance of caution, UFPD has increased patrols on the campus, while GPD continues to investigate these shootings. If anyone has information that may be helpful in these investigations, please contact GPD at 352-393-7500.
Gainesville Police Department has not yet responded to questions about the incidents.
Everywhere they go, death, chaos, and destruction follow.
‘They’ are the bad actors I assume you are referring to. Too bad normal people cannot enjoy downtown even during the daylight with all of the chaos, bums, shootings, and robberies going on. God forbid they have a rap concert downtown, they might as well have SWAT on standby at the Checkers and no one in Shands ER would be allowed to take the night off…
Those who took the JAB are no longer “normal”
When the downtown parking lot party goes wrong…
With limited K9 units and no police helicopter, I guess there is only so much they can do. I have heard people who live in that area complaining about the aggressive vagrants, and one guy even said he was robbed at gunpoint recently. If you’re going to convince UF students to pay extra to live in a big building near campus, you should at least keep those neighborhoods safe. Hopefully no one will get shot during the Holiday Parade.
TV20 reported homeless have been sleeping in the halls inside a new student apt high rise on 13th St. I wonder how many parents are aware of that? Don’t the doors have security code access?
Jeffk, Don’t tell the Commissioners they’ll buy it like the motels they bought for the homeless.
How long before Gangsville scares away students from attending UF? Until then the local government and police won’t do anything. That’s their bread and butter.
Farsighted observation, Me, and perhaps not as farfetched as some blithe souls on the city commission and residents might suppose. There are several great universities in the USA trapped into what, over time, became crime ridden, gang infested, socially collapsed “war zones.” Each of these universities wishes it could move somewhere that is normal and livable. But, of course, they are stuck forever.
The university doesn’t exactly export culture here… it’s just another four years of high school for most of them. All these kiddie condos don’t even pay taxes btw, the bottom floor retail space is priced too high to attract a business and they write off vacancies as a business loss while they poach the captive, non resident students (Who also don’t pay taxes except on alcohol)
Parents weekend was a few weeks ago, and I spoke with a few UF moms (with children at UF) who are very concerned about all the crime and vagrants so close to campus. It might be possible to organize some of them into a group to raise money, write letters, or support candidates. They are already spending a lot of money to send their kids here, out-of-state students especially.
So much for Mayor Harvey Ward & Commissioner Eastman’s so-called vibrant downtown/midtown w/their Drinking in the Streets, More Shootings & Law Enforcement INUNDATED with calls for service
The City Commission just isn’t spending enough time finding ways to blame Gov. DeSantis for Gainesville’s street crimes. A task force must be formed and reports, with plenty of charts, be made.
The Hippodrome can be handed grants for performances about dealing with the aftermath of gun violence and regular candlelight vigils held for the victims.
“…and GPD believes the suspects fled instead toward downtown Gainesville. The suspects were not located.”
This is Gainesville as seen through the shooters’ eyes.
I hope this does not distract City Commission from writing letters to Biden asking for a ceasefire in Israel. How many homicides is this so far in 2023, can our Gainesville dear leaders tell us?
Geeze! A holiday weekend no less. Christmas and New Year should make for a fine mess at the rate things are going in Hoggtown.
All of these articles and comments make me ever more sure I did the right thing when we moved out of Gainesville to a rural area in the county.
Here you will hear gunshots on occasion as we, and the neighboring ranchers and farmers target practice. You don’t hear rap and hip hop blasting with the bass turned to max. You don’t hear traffic noise at all.
My “hood” is mixed and we all get along just fine, we help each other when help is needed and we watch out for each other and we don’t give a flying fig about the color of each other’s skin. We are blessed to have such kind and decent neighbors.
More of the same usual suspects out making their parent(s)? proud and the rest of us pay for their shenanigans.
Evidence indicates that the Gainesville Florida City Commission is but dimly aware of their primary duty, public safety.
Vote by vote, action by action, deal by private deal, they have increased the risk, the danger and the harm to residents, students and visitors
The think-less tank ignored virtually every principle and plan for public safety by turning the city over to influence merchants, incompetent appointees and indifferent consultants…. overpaying them all.
The elected made streets deadlier adding dozens of curb cuts and mega traffic generators on our most congested thoroughfares and corners, knowing in advance the inevitable risk to life, limb and property.
They positioned multi mega-pump fill-er-up stations every few blocks without care or sense except to the city commission and their planners.
Risk the walk, the bike, the drive across our city planned and approved intersections and live to tell.
And take the risk in what they have allowed to become a shooting and drunk driving range in our vast, publicly owned, open street bar.
Talk privately to any city cop and wonder why many are looking elsewhere beyond the brawls and bullets they are assigned to manage here.