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Press release from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – On the evening of February 3, shortly after 5:00 p.m., the Alachua County Combined Communications Center received an urgent call from the Union County Sheriff’s Office. They reported a double homicide that had occurred in their jurisdiction less than an hour earlier.
According to Union County deputies, a suspect connected to the homicide was suspected to be driving a black Ford F-150, possibly heading north on U.S. Highway 441 through Alachua County, near High Springs. Officers from the local agencies, including the High Springs Police Department and Alachua Police Department, quickly engaged real-time intelligence technology to track the vehicle’s movements. The data suggested that the vehicle had passed through High Springs and Alachua, eventually merging onto Interstate 75 heading south.
At around 5:26 p.m., Deputy W. Williams, part of the Patrol Operations for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), reported to dispatch that he was trailing the suspected vehicle near mile marker 386 on I-75. Several additional ACSO deputies, along with Florida Highway Patrol troopers, soon joined the pursuit.
Minutes later, around 5:30 p.m., officers attempted to pull over the vehicle. However, the driver accelerated, continuing at high speed down I-75. Due to the severe nature of the homicide and the dangerous speeds involved, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper executed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, bringing the vehicle to a stop on the western shoulder of the interstate.
Deputies and troopers worked together to contain the scene and issued numerous commands for the driver to exit the vehicle. Simultaneously, the ACSO SWAT Team, ACSO Aviation Unit, Gainesville Police Department Drone Unit, and ACSO Negotiations Response Team were activated. After receiving no response for an extended period of time, members of the SWAT Team utilized specialized equipment and tactics to approach the vehicle, where they determined the lone male driver was deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At the onset of this incident, ACSO personnel took immediate protective measures to prevent any citizen injuries by shutting down Interstate 75 in both directions.
We commend the deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers who worked together to resolve this extremely dangerous situation.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in conjunction with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating the double homicide that occurred in Union County. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims whose loved ones were taken by this senseless act of violence.