Pair arrested after Hawthorne shooting

Staff report

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – Anthony Lee Watson Sr., 65, and Jimmy Lee Floyd Jr., 37, were arrested yesterday after Floyd allegedly punched Watson over an unpaid debt and Watson allegedly shot at Floyd after walking away.

At about 1:20 p.m. on June 17, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a home in the 5800 block of SE 223rd Street, where witnesses said Floyd might have been shot before fleeing on foot. Two spent 9mm shell casings were found on the ground, and there was a bullet hole in the exterior wall of the home, about a foot above the level of the front porch floor; the bullet was found in the front living area of the home.

Deputies went to Floyd’s residence, which was about a mile away, and made contact with Watson, who had called 911 to report the shooting. Both Watson and Floyd were transported to ASO Headquarters for interviews.

Post Miranda, Floyd reportedly said Watson owed his girlfriend money for a job, and he had hit Watson twice, in the head and face, while he was sitting in his vehicle. He said Watson said he would go inside his residence and get the money, and Watson told Floyd to stay outside on the porch. Floyd said Watson came out of the house, walked past him, and then turned around and shot at him, so he fled.

The deputy reported that Floyd was not hit by a bullet.

Post Miranda, Watson reportedly said that Floyd had punched him in the face as he sat in his vehicle, so he told Floyd he needed to go inside to get a phone number so he could get money. He said they both went inside, and he picked up his gun; they both walked outside, where Floyd stayed on the porch and Watson walked back to his car. He reportedly said he turned around, pointed his gun at Floyd, and told him he needed to leave the property; when Floyd took a step off the porch, Watson said, he fired one gunshot at the roof, and Floyd fled through the house and out the back door.

The deputy noted that the bullet hole was nowhere near the roof of the house and would have hit the victim in his leg; he also noted that there were two spent shell casings in front of the house, not one.

The deputy also noted that Watson admitted to driving to Floyd’s home after the shooting, indicating that he was not in fear of Floyd, as he had claimed.

Watson has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has no criminal history, and Judge Adam Lee set bail at $250,000.

Floyd has been charged with burglary with battery. He has eight felony convictions (three violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (two violent); he has served five state prison sentences, with his most recent release in April 2026. Judge Lee set bail at $250,000.

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.