Keystone Heights man arrested for downtown stabbing incident with life-threatening injuries

Staff report

Updated on November 6 with bail information.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brandon Aaron Elijah Goodin, 21, was arrested early this morning and charged with attempted homicide after allegedly stabbing a man eight times.

Gainesville Police Department officers reported that at about 2:22 a.m. on October 26, the victim and two of his friends got into an argument with another group of men inside a downtown establishment. After they left the establishment at closing time, they walked in the same direction and continued arguing until they reached the 200 block of South Main Street.

Goodin and his friends, who were not with either group, happened to be in the 200 block of South Main Street, and Goodin reportedly began making negative comments about the victim and his group. The victim reportedly yelled back at Goodin, upset that Goodin “had no idea what was going on, but was running his mouth, anyway.”

All three groups began fighting, with multiple fist-fights breaking out. As the groups were fighting, Goodin and two of his friends began fighting with the victim, and while the victim was fighting off Goodin’s friends, Goodin allegedly approached the victim from his right side and stabbed the victim multiple times in the torso.

A Gainesville Police Department officer arrived right after the victim fell to the ground and saw Goodin walking away. He reported that the victim pointed toward Goodin and said, “He just stabbed me!” One of the victim’s friends also reportedly identified Goodin as the man who had stabbed the victim.

The officer reported that Goodin seemed like he was about to run, but he decided not to. The officer held Goodin at gunpoint until he got into a prone position and then waited for backup officers to arrive and secure him in handcuffs.

While the officer was waiting for backup officers to arrive, a bystander showed him video of Goodin tossing the knife on the ground to a woman who turned out to be Goodin’s sister. Officers later contacted Goodin’s sister and recovered the knife.

One of the victim’s friends said he never lost sight of Goodin from the time of the stabbing until the officers handcuffed him, and he said he had seen Goodin pulling the knife out of the victim’s chest.

Witness accounts indicated that the victim was not armed and did not present a threat to Goodin at the time of the stabbing.

Another witness said he did not participate in the fight, and he said he saw the victim fighting with two of Goodin’s friends when Goodin came up from the victim’s right side and stabbed the victim. This witness said the victim was not even looking toward Goodin when Goodin stabbed him.

The officer reported that Goodin’s sister was initially uncooperative, but she eventually produced the knife and said she had been worried about what would happen to her brother. She also reportedly said she never saw the victim with any weapons before Goodin stabbed him.

The officer reported that medical personnel said the victim was stabbed eight times, suffered a punctured lung, and lost a great deal of blood. At the time of the report, the victim was in stable condition.

Goodin has been charged with attempted homicide. He has two adult felony convictions (non-violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (non-violent) in Clay County, and he is currently on probation.

At his First Appearance hearing, Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial. On November 3, Judge Denise Ferrero granted the motion and ordered him held 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.