A 20-year-old Ocala man is facing murder charges in connection with a fatal shooting that left two people dead and one wounded in Gainesville early Sunday morning.
Shortly after 2:40 a.m., multiple Gainesville Police Department officers were conducting an increased patrol in the area of 1000 W University Avenue. During this patrol, the officers heard shots being fired near the 900 block of W University Avenue, according to the police department.
When officers arrived on scene, they found one victim in front of Checkers (912 W University Avenue), and a second victim in the same area was flagging down the officers. Officers found a third victim in front of Body Tech Tattoos (806 W University Avenue).
GPD stated that a witness informed one of the officers that the suspected gunman, identified as Ja’Zier Antonio Myers, was attempting to conceal himself in their vehicle.
An officer observed Myers standing near a vehicle with a firearm in his possession. The officer ordered Myers to drop the firearm, and he was taken into custody without incident, according to GPD.
The police department stated that an investigation into the shooting revealed that Myers had walked behind one of the victims who was walking on the sidewalk in front of Body Tech Tattoos. Moments later, Myers allegedly shot the first victim, and Gainesville police stated that Myers proceeded to walk westbound to Checkers where he shot two more victims.
After the shootings, police stated that Myers walked northbound through the parking lot and attempted to hide in a parked vehicle. The owner of the vehicle quickly confronted Myers and alerted the nearby officers who were on scene.
Two of the victims were pronounced deceased at the scene. The third victim is in stable condition and is expected to live.
GPD detectives interviewed Myers, and he identified himself in still photographs that were taken from video surveillance footage in the area. On that footage, Myers was observed holding a firearm at the scene of one of the shootings. In addition, he identified himself standing at the scene of the second shooting, according to the police department.
Myers was arrested and transported to Alachua County Jail. He is being charged with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted homicide.
The Gainesville Police Department is still actively investigating the fatal shooting, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Whitney Williams at 352-393-7681.