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Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ja’zier Antonio Myers, 20, of Ocala, was arrested early this morning and charged with two counts of homicide and one count of attempted homicide after shooting three people on University Avenue.
Gainesville Police Department officers who were in the area of 900 W. University Avenue for crowd control heard multiple gunshots at about 2:42 a.m. and found three people who had been shot. One victim who later died was found in front of Checkers, 912 W. University Avenue, and a second victim was found in the same area, flagging down officers. A third victim, who was shot first, was found deceased in front of Bodytech, 806 W. University Avenue.
Surveillance video reportedly showed Myers walking near the third victim at about 2:40 a.m. and showed Myers shooting the victim in the head at close range as they passed Bodytech.
The second victim told officers that he was ordering food at Checkers when he heard people arguing behind him; when he turned around, he said he saw Myers shoot the first victim at close range. He ran and was shot in the process.
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Witnesses on scene told officers that they were in their car when an unknown person, later identified as Myers, got in their car with a gun. They said the man refused to get out of their car until officers approached, at which point Myers got out and dropped the gun. He was detained at that time.
Post Miranda, Myers reportedly denied being in the area at the time of the shooting; when officers showed him still photos from surveillance videos showing the shootings at Bodytech and Checkers, he reportedly confirmed he was the person in the photos. When officers said the person in the photos was the shooter in the murders, he reportedly denied being involved in a shooting; he said he had no recollection of what had happened and that he was possibly drugged.
Myers has no adult criminal history in Alachua or Marion counties. Bail information is unavailable on weekends.
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.
