Man charged with attempted murder after shooting leaves robbery victim’s father paralyzed

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cedric Leon Cohens II, 20, was arrested early this morning following an evening shooting at The Enclave that left a man permanently paralyzed.

Gainesville Police Department officers responded at 9:16 p.m. last night to a report of a shooting at The Enclave and found a man who had been shot; his son was apparently the intended victim of a home invasion robbery. The son told police that Cohens had come over earlier in the evening to smoke marijuana with him, and when he left, he let three armed subjects into the apartment. The son reportedly said that one of them hit him in the back of the head with a pistol, then dragged him into his bedroom and told him to hand over his cash. He told officers that the subjects stole about $2,000 in cash from him while holding him at gunpoint. The officer reported that a large amount of marijuana, white powder, and other drug paraphernalia were present in the apartment.

The father had been asleep in his room but ran into his son’s room when he heard the disturbance, and one of the intruders shot him in the back. The officer reported that doctors said the bullet severed the man’s spinal cord and that he is expected to be paralyzed from the neck down. The subjects fled the apartment after the shooting.

The son was able to identify Cohens from a photo line-up, and Cohens’ vehicle was found at a nearby apartment complex, where Cohens was also located a short time later.

Post Miranda, Cohens reportedly told multiple versions of his story but finally admitted to driving to The Enclave to meet the son to smoke marijuana. At various times, he reportedly said he didn’t know the three subjects who came in to rob the son but later said he knew the son kept large amounts of drugs and cash in the apartment and that he let the three subjects follow him to the apartment, knowing they intended to rob the son.

Cohens, who has a juvenile conviction from 2021, has been charged with armed home invasion robbery and attempted homicide and is being held on $1,250,000 bail.

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.