GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Trevez Ravell McRae, 29, was arrested early this morning after police said he shot two people who later died.
At approximately 3:59 a.m. on November 1, Gainesville Police Department officers were patrolling near 1100 West University Avenue when they heard gunfire. Immediately afterward, officers saw McRae running northwest through the parking lot of the Chevron at 1024 West University Avenue. Police ordered him to stop, but he allegedly turned and fled east on West University Avenue before heading south on SW 10th Street.
When McRae reached the southwest corner of West University Avenue and SW 10th Street, an officer reportedly saw him drop a handgun. McRae then surrendered to police.
Additional officers found the first victim lying on the ground near the southwest corner of West University Avenue and NW 10th Street. The victim had at least one gunshot wound and was unresponsive. Officers provided medical aid until an ambulance arrived, but the victim was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The second victim was found unresponsive outside 1010 West University Avenue with at least one gunshot wound. Officers administered aid while awaiting an ambulance, but the victim also died at the hospital.
According to police, surveillance footage shows a large group arguing on the sidewalk in front of 1010 West University Avenue. The confrontation escalated as people began pushing and striking one another.
McRae is reportedly visible among the group. As the fight began, the first victim punched McRae in the head. The two then moved apart, and footage allegedly shows McRae drawing a handgun from his waist and firing twice at the first victim, striking the victim at least once. The wounded victim ran west along West University Avenue before collapsing.
McRae then reportedly ran west and began firing again as he approached the second victim, who was walking away. A second camera angle allegedly shows McRae running behind the victim and shooting, striking the victim at least once. The second victim then moved beyond the camera’s view, and officers located the victim near that area.
The report identifies McRae as the suspect seen fleeing from officers before being detained. He was wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey, and tattoos on his arms were visible in the surveillance footage. Police said the video does not show anyone else firing a weapon during the incident.
After being read his Miranda rights, McRae reportedly told investigators that he had been spending time with friends at Kava Lounge, located at 1007 West University Avenue. After the lounge closed, he said, the group gathered on the north side of the intersection of West University Avenue and NW 10th Street.
McRae said one of his friends had argued with another group earlier in the evening. Believing the dispute could worsen, he asked another friend to lend him a gun. McRae said the weapon was handed to him “minutes” before the shooting.
McRae reportedly said he was standing between the two groups when the fight started and was attempting to break it up. He told investigators that he “panicked” after the first victim punched him in the face and that he began shooting because he was prepared to “defend myself by any means necessary.”
McRae also reportedly said he shot the second victim because that person had been fighting with his friend. He claimed the gun fell from his pocket while he was running from officers and denied deliberately throwing it away.
McRae faces two counts of first-degree homicide, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and resisting an officer without violence. His record includes juvenile offenses from 2012 through 2014, two adult nonviolent felony convictions, and two violent misdemeanor convictions. He served a state prison sentence for unlawfully carrying a concealed firearm and was released in 2019. In 2024, he was arrested after officers found two handguns—including one equipped with a Glock switch—in the glove compartment of a vehicle he was driving. He was initially charged with fleeing or eluding, possession of a machine gun, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The firearm charges were later dropped, and he pleaded nolo contendere to fleeing. In August 2024, he received a 10-month jail sentence followed by two years of probation. A judge is scheduled to decide tomorrow whether to set bail.