Man arrested for Suburban Heights murder told police he ran out of fentanyl a few days before shooting his employer

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – James Thomas Tate, 28, of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, is now in the Alachua County Jail, charged with shooting and killing his employer and shooting at another employee while the three were in town to do a demolition project and were staying in a Suburban Heights Airbnb.

At about 2:40 a.m. on January 11, Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers responded to a house in the 4700 block of NW 16th Place in Suburban Heights and found one man dead; a second victim reported that he had escaped through a window after someone shot through his locked bedroom door. The second victim suffered numerous severe lacerations.

The investigation revealed that all three men were from Mississippi, and Tate and the second victim were employed by the murder victim. They arrived in Gainesville on January 3 to do a demolition project and were staying at the house, an Airbnb, while in Gainesville.

Officers at the scene learned that Tate had left in the murder victim’s work pick-up truck, and officers from GPD, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office pursued Tate until he crashed the pick-up in Columbia County. He was booked into the Columbia County Jail and was just moved to the Alachua County Jail this morning.

Post Miranda, Tate reportedly said he should not have killed the victim and he didn’t know why he did it, he just “lost his sh*t.” He reportedly said he got a “wild idea” while lying in bed and went out to his employer’s truck to get a bag he had previously seen in the truck; he said his employer kept cash and a handgun in the bag.

Tate allegedly came back inside and went directly to the murder victim’s bedroom door; after he kicked it in, the victim got out of bed, armed with a handgun. The victim asked what was going on, and Tate allegedly shot him multiple times. Tate reportedly said he knew the second victim was sleeping in the next room, and he tried to open the door, but it was locked, so he shot through the door multiple times.

Tate reportedly said he is addicted to fentanyl and had run out of fentanyl on Sunday, January 7. He said he had been detoxing and sick since then and had considered committing suicide. He reportedly said his plan was to kill his co-workers, flee to New Orleans, get more “dope,” and then kill himself.

Tate is also facing a sworn complaint for leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.

Tate’s arrest warrant, signed by Judge William Davis, ordered him held without bond on the murder charge and set his bond at $1 million for the attempted murder of the second victim. Tate’s criminal history is not currently available.

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.