Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Damian Jacques Brown, 31, who was arrested on March 22, has now been charged with discharging a firearm in public for allegedly shooting a gun in the direction of apartment buildings at Sweetwater Square Apartments on February 14.

At about 1:06 p.m. on February 14, Gainesville Police Department officers responded to calls from the area of 3101 NE 15th Street that several shots had been fired from an orange and white Chevrolet Avalanche. Officers confirmed that four different apartments were hit by bullets, and bullets were found inside three apartments, all of which were occupied at the time. Numerous 9 mm and 10 mm shell casings were reportedly found in the south wood line between the apartment complex and NE 31st Avenue.

James Leon Johnson, 18, was previously charged with attempted murder in the case.

Brown was arrested on March 22 and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of drug equipment, and resisting an officer without violence; he was on probation at the time. Since that time, a formal charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon has been filed, while the other two charges will not be prosecuted.

Brown’s arrest report states that Brown he started shooting as he retreated into an apartment in Building F; however, he allegedly fled before officers arrived. It is unclear from the report whether he was associated with the suspects who shot from the Avalanche. Witnesses at the scene referred to him as “Spunk.”

Gainesville Police Department officers already had information linking Brown to the nickname “Spunk,” and he reportedly has “Spunk” tattooed on his left arm. A witness also reportedly positively identified Brown as the man who retreated into the apartment on February 14.

The report notes that the 9mm shell casings found around the apartment in Building F came back as a preliminary match to a shell casing found at another armed robbery/attempted homicide, but that incident is still under investigation.

In addition, the shell casings found near Building F came back as a preliminary match to the firearm in Brown’s possession when he was arrested on March 22.

Brown has a juvenile criminal history, five adult felony convictions (two violent), and four adult misdemeanor convictions (none violent). He has served three state prison sentences. He was arrested in February 2019 for armed home invasion robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and he was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior in June 2019. In January 2021, he entered a plea of nolo contendere to one count of armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; another count of armed robbery and the lewd and lascivious behavior charge were dropped as part of the plea deal. Although the plea document states that the maximum sentence for the charges is a life sentence, Judge David Kreider signed a plea deal sentencing him to five years in state prison, followed by three years of probation, with credit for 714 days served.

Brown was released from prison in September 2023 and began his probation. An affidavit of violation of probation was filed in January when he failed to report to his probation officer, and a warrant for his arrest was issued. The affidavit was amended in February to add a report that Brown had changed addresses without notifying his probation officer “and his current whereabouts is unknown.”

Brown was already being held without bond for violating probation, and the bail for the previous charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon was $25,000. Judge Susan Miller-Jones today set bail at $50,000 on each of the new charges (discharging a firearm in public and possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon).

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.