Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a recent incident, 74-year-old Jack Robert Carter was taken into custody following accusations of threatening a family member with a firearm. Authorities also allege that he fired a warning shot outside his residence.

On November 4, around 12:30 p.m., officers from the Gainesville Police Department were dispatched to a property in the Duval neighborhood. Carter recounted that the family member entered his bedroom brandishing two knives and made threats against his life. He claimed that after issuing these threats, the individual left the room and reclined on a couch. Carter stated he then emerged from his bedroom with his gun, passed by the family member, and proceeded outside. He reported that upon the victim approaching the open door, he fired a shot into the air, noting he did not see the victim with knives at that point.

When questioned about the knives, Carter allegedly described them as one small and one large, adding that he had never seen these knives before the incident.

The family member, however, provided a different account, stating that an argument had taken place before Carter exited the house. He claimed he went to the open door and observed Carter aiming the gun skyward. The victim asserted that Carter discharged the weapon into the air before directing it toward him, causing a genuine fear for his safety. He firmly denied ever possessing a knife during the altercation.

Post Miranda, Carter reportedly said that when the victim came to the door, he thought he was going to walk toward him, so he fired a “warning shot” into the air and then pointed the gun at the victim.

The officer reported that there was no evidence that the victim had threatened Carter with a knife, citing the fact that Carter acknowledged walking past the victim, who had allegedly threatened him with a knife, but he did not point the gun at him until he was outside, although the victim was still inside. The officer also noted that although the door was open, the victim would have had to step over a three-foot baby gate to move toward Carter.

A search of the area around the couch reportedly produced no knives, and a search of the victim reportedly produced no knives.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a pistol in Carter’s pocket.

Carter has been charged with aggravated domestic assault with a deadly weapon. He has one misdemeanor conviction, and Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him released on his own recognizance but ordered him to maintain a separate residence from the victim.

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.