Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gary Lamar Brannon, 65, was arrested yesterday and charged with three counts of armed burglary, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and firing a weapon on residential property after he allegedly tried to break into a home and then fired a gun outside the home. Brannon reportedly said he was upset with the residents of the home because they had secured gas cans he intended to use to set up a “kill zone.”

The victims told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that Brannon previously entered their house about a week ago, wearing swim trunks and covered in mud, as if he were trying to camouflage himself in the woods. The victims said after that incident, they found numerous gas cans in the woods, hidden under tree limbs and brush and containing about 10 gallons of gas. The victims said they secured the gas cans and began locking their property to protect themselves against Brannon.

The victims reportedly said that at about 8 a.m. yesterday, Brannon entered their property and tried to enter the house through both the front and back doors. He then started knocking on a back window and became progressively more upset. Brannon allegedly began shooting a gun outside the home while demanding that the victims come out. The victims said they were in fear for their lives when Brannon started shooting after trying to force his way into their home.

A deputy made contact with Brannon, who was driving a car with North Carolina tags, near the intersection of NW 156th Avenue and NW 29th Street. After Brannon surrendered, the deputy reportedly found a pistol on the front seat of the car with the slide pulled back and an empty magazine.

Brannon reportedly stated spontaneously that he had stolen the pistol earlier in the day because he wanted the pistol owner’s DNA to be found at the scene of the crime. Brannon reportedly said he was in the area because his 92-year-old aunt was being abused and he wanted to create a “kill zone” for anyone involved. He reportedly said that the “kill zone” would be a trap he planned to make by cutting trees down in the roadway in front of and behind the target vehicle. Once the target vehicle was trapped, he said, he planned to set the vehicle and its occupants on fire. He reportedly specifically mentioned a car parked on the victims’ property as a target.

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Post Miranda, Brannon reportedly said he wanted to scare one of the victims but said he would not have hurt him; he admitted firing the gun until he ran out of bullets. He said he wanted to retrieve the gas cans he had left behind and said he was mad at the victims for hiding the gas cans. Brannon reportedly said several times that the “kill zone” was intended to kill people and that “he himself was a lethal weapon.” He also reportedly said he would come back to take revenge on the victims.

Deputies reportedly found five shell casings within 20 feet of the home.

The owner of the pistol declined to press charges.

Brannon has no local criminal convictions; 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.