Man arrested for firing gun at Forest View Apartments
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jamie Lamar Ball, 48, was arrested yesterday after allegedly shooting a pistol multiple times at Forest View Apartments, formerly known as The Pavilion on 62nd.
At about 6:49 p.m. on November 24, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to multiple calls about gunshots at Forest View (1000 SW 62nd Blvd). Witnesses pointed officers to building 13, where Ball was reportedly found walking away from the building, near the area where four shell casings were found.
Officers detained Ball, and a search incident to arrest reportedly produced a single .380 round in his pocket that matched the casings found outside his apartment, along with a set of keys that included a key to a safe. A K-9 search reportedly led to a pistol in a safe on the back porch of Ball’s apartment, next to a pile of mail addressed to Ball and a box of matching .380 rounds with five rounds missing.
Post Miranda, Ball reportedly denied ever carrying the firearm and said he had not fired it outside. The arresting officer reported that Ball did not explain why he had a .380 round in his pocket. Ball reportedly said there are three sets of keys to his safe: one was previously lost, one is with a friend he has not seen or heard from in months, and the third is the one found in his pocket. Ball reportedly admitted there was a handgun in his safe and he is the only person with access to it.
The officer reported that Ball appeared to be under the influence of alcoholic beverages and a witness said he had been drinking all day.
Ball has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a firearm on residential property, and using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. He has two felony convictions (none violent) and 10 misdemeanor convictions (two violent). Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $40,000.
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.Â
For some reason those firearms sure manage to find a home with felons.
It’s not what local leaders will have you believe.
Since he is a felon….how did he obtain the gun? Likely stolen.
Purchased by a girlfriend who isn’t prohibited from doing so is a common MO.
It’s easy to get a gun if you’re a felon or not. You find a non felon that is down on their luck, give them $50 bucks for their pocket and you take them to the gun store and give them the money to purchase your gun. Easy.
And that’s why those individuals who perpetuate such purchases should be arrested, tried and convicted as accessories to any crime committed by those they assisted. Should curtail those activities.
Your narrative for illegally obtaining a firearm is a Federal crime. The forms filled out at the time of purchase specifically ask if the purchaser is buying the firearm for another. Put a few of the illegal purchasers in the prison and send a message.
I remember when this complex was called Melrose Apartments, and it was the place to live back in the late 90’s. Now it’s just Majestic Oaks’ twin, filled with Section 8 trash and violence.
It was also called The District at one time. It was Melrose Apartments back when Melrose Place was on TV in the early/mid-90s. There was/is a big roach problem there, among the other problems.
Maybe the state needs to change the convicted felon in possession to a first degree felony. They know they are felons and knowingly possess a gun for illegal means.