High school student charged with attempted murder in July drive-by shooting at Dee’s Liquor

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jaquez Equon Wallace, 18, a high school student who has been in the Alachua County Jail since October 24, has now been charged with shooting into a crowd of people outside Dee’s Liquor (1030 SE 4th Ave.) on July 12, 2024, when he was 17.

At about 11:50 p.m. on July 12, surveillance video shows a crowd of people standing in front of the liquor store when gunshots were fired at them from a passing black Cadillac SUV. The shots narrowly missed the victims, who immediately ran. Bullets reportedly hit vehicles in the parking lot, and the investigating detective wrote that it was “obviously apparent that the suspects fired the gunshots in an attempt to indiscriminately kill the victims.”

Using cell phone data, social media accounts, and investigative follow-up, the detective determined that Wallace bought a black Springfield 9mm pistol from his “god mama” for $200 between February and March of 2024 and “numerous” photos and videos show Wallace with the weapon before and after the July 12 shooting.

A black Cadillac SUV was stolen on July 8, and the Cadillac was reportedly seen on surveillance video at Lewis Place Apartments (4121 NE 15th Street) early on the morning of July 9. The detective noted that Wallace lived at Lewis Place Apartments at the time of the shooting.

At about 9:22 p.m. on July 12, the Cadillac was reportedly seen on surveillance video picking up two suspects wearing gloves and hoodies at Lewis Place Apartments; the detective reported that he viewed pictures of the same two suspects, wearing the same clothes, in Wallace’s bedroom.

Video surveillance reportedly showed the Cadillac parking behind Dandy Liquor Store (1300 NE 1st Avenue) after the Dee’s Liquor shooting, with the passenger door open. The next day, Wallace reportedly sent a text to someone, asking for assistance in getting his guns from a location near Wawa (a few blocks from where the abandoned Cadillac was found).

Further evidence tying Wallace to the Cadillac includes video showing the Cadillac briefly returning to Lewis Place after Wallace received a text from his mother, asking him to return to do something for her.

Officers reportedly found 9mm shell casings in the roadway in front of Dee’s Liquor and in the abandoned Cadillac.

After his arrest on October 24 for possession of a Glock switch, Wallace was also charged with shooting into a dwelling at Lewis Place Apartments on September 12, 2024.

The detective in the September 12 case executed a search warrant of Wallace’s apartment on October 7 and reportedly found the Springfield 9mm pistol in his bedroom. The shell casings collected in both the July 12 and September 12 incidents are a preliminary match for the Springfield pistol.

Post Miranda, Wallace reportedly said the pistol is his and he does not let anyone else use it.

Wallace, who is still in high school, has juvenile convictions in 2019 and 2020. He has been in the Alachua County Jail since October 24 on $50,000 bail, with an additional $100,000 added after he was charged in the September 12 shooting incident.

Wallace has been charged with attempted first-degree homicide, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and firing into a vehicle in connection with the July 12 shooting; Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail on the attempted murder charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.

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. 

  • Did he have a history of classroom behavioral issues, but was excused repeatedly due to DEI?
    ACLUSPLCDNC 👺👹👿💩🤡

    • He is 18 and in 9th grade. Way to go Alachua County School System oh yeah and mom and dad. Oops on the dad part, I think we all know.

    • You’ve never used the acronym “dei” until trump said it. Think for yourself, don’t be a follower. Your dating this because it’s a fab gtfoh

      • “Your” shows possession….Your books, your guns.
        “You’re” is a contraction for you are….You are not very smart, you are not very welleducated.

  • This is a perfect time to charge ‘god mama’ as an accessory to the attempted homicide.
    This wasn’t a case of the gun being stolen, or brought across state lines.
    Before someone chimes in about the availability of firearms to minors, hope they saw the news about the shooting in Sweden. Those strict laws didn’t work.

    • Sweden has become an anti-Christian cult run by deranged leftist women who hate their own race – not unlike Gainesville in some ways. Things are starting to change in Sweden, though. I would be willing to bet the shooter was not born in Sweden.

    • Hey, finally one example from across the developed world! We have had enough school shootings to cover European nations for decades.

      • You’re anti-something. In recent years past we’ve seen more neighborhoods in this country looted, vandalized and burned than many in third world countries.

        What demographic/political association was responsible?

  • Oh No, another scholar identified as a shooter. Got his gat from his God Mama when he was 17. Charge her too.

  • Listen, I am just as crass as the rest of this group, but it is obvious that someone was pulling strings behind this shooting. The gangbangers set up the simpleton so he could take the blame. He is going to get off because he lacks the mental capacity to form the criminal intent to commit this crime. You can tell by looking at him. He’s at A Quinn Jones, and, if he is truly 18 and in 9th grade, the writing is on the wall. He’ll be on the streets again in no time. Mark my word.

  • In high school shooting out of a stolen Cadillac into a crowd with a gun bought from his god mama. Raised by a culture of violence and not by a father, just a wild guess. It’s an epidemic.

    • It is government’s fault. They need to pass a law “Anyone opening a liquor store in the neighborhood of 1030 SE 4th Ave needs to hire and pay two armed security guards 24 hours a day to ensure the public safety.” People should not be allowed to open such a public nuisance and expect everyone else in the city to spend thousands on police and court services for problems that the liquor store owner created.

      • Armed guards do not stop crime. Nothing stops crime. We have police officers and crimes keep happening.

  • Its funny how people assume that the child’s parents are the ones to blame. These kids are different and most of the time they are influenced and do what they want to do anyway. Now I don’t agree with the gmama selling him the gun she definitely should get some kind of disciplinary action against her. But yall gotta stop tearing down the parents its not fair.

  • Fluoride levels could have been spiked in district 1. Suggest you investigate that, since we’re all created equal and only Culture could explain what’s happened there.

  • You can’t be serious to think that this is a cultural problem. A white female just released from prison took 3 separate agencies on a high speed chase yesterday after carjacking someone… 😳 No one is blaming her entire race, for her stupidity! Only an idiot would consider such notion as a logical thought… Just accept the fact that you’re an inferior human being! You really think your skin color separates you… What an idiot! Pull down your skirt, your racism is showing! It seems like there’s a lot of frustration here! It’s wild how people can say anything when they think they can hide behind anonymity. I mean, just because one person does something crazy doesn’t mean we should blame a whole group, right? It’s just not logical! Let’s focus on understanding each other instead of pointing fingers. We’re all in this together, and it’s important to lift each other up!

  • Yalls do not know him. I does know him. He is a good dude. Let him answer the questions to be brought to court.

  • All these comments but,…no one has raised the issue of the illegal or legal origin of the firearm in question.

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