Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gainesville Police Department is investigating the shootings of two people near campus just before 3 a.m. this morning.

UF Public Safety sent out alerts starting at 3:25 a.m. regarding armed subjects near campus, advising members of the university community to avoid the area from Union Road to Inner Road and later to avoid the area around the CVS on SW 13th Street near campus.

According to information from the University of Florida Police Department (UFPD), Gainesville Police Department (GPD) notified UFPD at 2:40 a.m. that shots had been fired at 1100 W. University Avenue and that one person had been found with a gunshot injury. Additional shots were fired around 2:55 a.m. near 1200 SW 2nd Avenue, and a second gunshot victim was found at that location.

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GPD pursued suspects on foot toward campus along SW 13th Street, but there was a heavy police presence of both GPD and UFPD officers in the area, and GPD believes the suspects fled instead toward downtown Gainesville. The suspects were not located.

UFPD stated, “While the threat of this incident was not directed at the campus community, UF Alerts were sent out of an abundance of caution due to the close proximity of the shootings to the campus. None of the shootings took place on the campus, and no members of the UF community were involved or injured during this incident.”
 
Out of an abundance of caution, UFPD has increased patrols on the campus, while GPD continues to investigate these shootings. If anyone has information that may be helpful in these investigations, please contact GPD at 352-393-7500.

Gainesville Police Department has not yet responded to questions about the incidents.