Three arrested in Point West shooting

• 

• 

• 

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Antonio Marcellous Bowers, Jr., 19, Dekwan André Howard, 22, and Dennis Greg Singleton, 23, were arrested late Tuesday night in connection with a shooting at Point West Apartments.

At about 11:00 p.m. on December 28, a man who said he was house-sitting for a friend was shot in the throat at Point West Apartments, 512 SW 13th Street. While being treated at UF Health Shands, he told detectives that the shot came from the north side of the building and that the shooter was a male in all-black clothing. The victim said he returned fire and then jumped through a south-facing window to escape the apartment. He also told detectives that the amount of gunfire led him to think there were multiple people shooting into the apartment.

Gainesville Police Department patrol units responded and set up a perimeter. An officer noticed that there were three black men sitting in a minivan in a parking lot at the complex. They were wearing dark clothing, and they were surrounded by additional articles of dark clothing that appeared to have been recently removed.

The officer made contact with the men, later identified as Bowers, Howard, and Singleton, noting that they were sweating “profusely” despite the cool outdoor temperatures with the window rolled down. The officer said he saw one of the men trying to hide disposable gloves. The three said they were just listening to music, but the officer was unsatisfied with their explanations for their presence at the apartment complex. Howard and Singleton were detained without incident, but Bowers reportedly resisted, trying to pull away and wrestling an officer to the ground.

A presumptive Gun Shot Residue test was positive on all three men. In interviews, they reportedly gave inconsistent statements about why they were at Point West or why they had gun shot residue on their hands. Bowers reportedly said he didn’t know why they were at Point West or how they got gun shot residue on their hands. Singleton reportedly told officers that they went to Point West to purchase marijuana from the person who lived at the apartment where the man was shot, but the seller never came to the van to deliver the marijuana. Singleton reportedly said the three had gone shooting with friends in Archer earlier in the afternoon. Howard reportedly said he had gone shooting alone in “Keystone” that morning and that he was at Point West to check on his girlfriend’s apartment. Post Miranda, Bowers reportedly admitted to concealing a revolver under his seat in the van. Howard spontaneously told officers he had a handgun in a backpack between his legs on the floor of the van. Neither suspect has a concealed carry permit.

Bowers was previously arrested on August 11, 2021, for carrying a concealed firearm without a permit and released on his own recognizance with the condition that he not possess any weapons. He was arrested again on October 25, 2021, for a warrant in connection with a December 2020 theft of credit cards from an unoccupied vehicle. He was released on $35,000 bail. He has been charged with possession of a concealed firearm without a permit, use of a firearm while committing a felony, resisting arrest without violence, and loitering/prowling in the December 28 case and is currently being held on $65,000 bail with a requirement for GPS monitoring.

Singleton was previously arrested on November 10, 2021, on charges on marijuana possession and dealing in stolen property and was released on $7,000 bail. There is a sworn complaint from October 24, 2021, describing an incident in which an officer found marijuana and a concealed firearm in his vehicle, but there is no record of an arrest in that case. He has been charged with loitering/prowling in the December 28 case, with a bond of $10,000 and a requirement for GPS monitoring.

Howard has been charged with possession of a concealed firearm without a permit and loitering/prowling and is being held on $25,000 bond with a requirement for GPS monitoring.

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.