Homeless man arrested for attempted murder after allegedly hitting stranger with a hammer in bookstore

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – John David Gilliand, 58, was arrested yesterday after allegedly hitting another man in the head with a hammer in a bookstore.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to 2nd & Charles (2601 NW 13th St.) on the afternoon of March 7, and the victim said he and Gilliand had gotten off the bus together before going into the store, but he did not know Gilliand.

The victim said Gilliand came up behind him and hit him three times in the back of the head with a hammer; he said he turned around and blocked the fourth blow before running away from Gilliand to tell employees about the incident. The officer reported that the victim had swelling to the back of his head.

The officer reported that while he was speaking with the victim, Gilliand came out of the bathroom, and the victim identified him as his attacker.

The officer reported that he reviewed surveillance video that showed Gilliand stalking the victim from a distance as he walked through the store and altering his appearance as he walked. When other customers left the immediate area, Gilliand allegedly took a hammer from his bag and slowly approached the victim before “viciously and aggressively” hitting the victim with the hammer.

Gilliand allegedly ran to the bathroom after the attack and then came out of the bathroom wearing different clothes. The officer reported that officers found a hammer behind one of the toilets in the men’s bathroom.

Post Miranda, Gilliand reportedly said he had been on the bus with the victim and admitted that the hammer was his but denied attacking the victim.

Gilliand, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with attempted murder and tampering with evidence. His most recent local arrest was in 2012, when two women accused him of threatening them with something that looked like a gun; after he entered a plea of nolo contendere to two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, he was sentenced to three years of probation, with adjudication of guilt withheld. The probation order required Gilliand to enter into mental health treatment, and he successfully completed probation in 2014.

Judge Donna Keim ordered him held without bail 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.