Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – McKinley Derone Keith, 62, was arrested yesterday after allegedly stabbing a former neighbor who argued with him at the McDonald’s on Newberry Road.

At about 4:20 p.m. on September 5, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to McDonald’s (6003 W. Newberry Road), where the victim said Keith had stabbed him in the thigh and shoulder after an argument.

The officer reported that accounts provided by the defendant, victim, and witnesses had significant differences, but Keith’s claim of self-defense did not appear to be justified “due to the deadly force used by [Keith].” The officer also reported that Keith made threats to harm the victim before the argument became physical.

The victim reportedly said he had gone to the restaurant with his children and saw Keith staring at his underage daughter and licking his lips. He said he “was aware of [Keith’s] past” because they had previously lived in the same neighborhood; Keith was charged with lewd or lascivious behavior against a victim under 12 in 2018, but the charges were later dropped.

The victim said he stepped between Keith and his daughter and told Keith to leave because he did not think Keith should be around children, and then a verbal argument began. The two men began yelling and walked outside to “handle things.”

The victim said that as they walked outside, he heard Keith say he would slit his throat, and he looked down to see that Keith was holding a knife. He said he pushed Keith to the ground to create distance between them, but as he fell, Keith reached out and stabbed him in the thigh.

The victim said he walked toward his car to see if Keith would follow him, but when Keith went back inside the restaurant, the victim also went back inside and saw the mother of Keith’s children arguing with his children. He said he did not remember how he was stabbed in the shoulder because he was “running on adrenaline.”

Keith reportedly said he saw the victim staring at him, and they started arguing. He said he told the victim to leave him alone, and then they both went outside, where he took a knife from his pocket in self-defense. He said the victim pushed him down, and he stabbed the victim in the thigh as he fell.

Keith said the victim kicked him in the leg before walking away; he said he assumed the victim was going to his car to get a weapon. He said he went back inside the restaurant, and when the victim came back inside, the victim grabbed someone else’s cane from the floor and walked back toward him. Keith said he retreated into a corner and stabbed the victim in the shoulder because he kept walking toward him. Keith maintained that all of his actions were in self-defense.

One witness said that after the victim’s daughter said Keith was staring at her, the victim yelled at Keith, who walked over to them. He said the victim started beating Keith up, and then Keith stabbed him. The officer noted that Keith did not have any visible injuries and never said he was beaten up.

Another witness said the two men got into an argument and then went outside, where Keith was punched in the face and then stabbed the victim. The officer noted that Keith never said he was punched in the face.

The officer reported that the victim had stab wounds on his thigh and shoulder, and Keith had scrapes on his ankle and shoulder.

Post Miranda, Keith reportedly admitted to having a knife, threatening the victim with it, and stabbing the victim twice. He reportedly said he told the victim he would slit his throat after the first time he stabbed the victim. He also reportedly told the officer he was going to kill the victim.

Keith has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He has six felony convictions (one violent) and two misdemeanor convictions. His last arrest was in 2019 for driving with a suspended license; after he violated probation, he was declared mentally incompetent to proceed in 2021, and after he had not been declared competent after a year, the probation violation charge was dropped in 2022.

Judge George Wright ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

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.