Dropped wallet leads to arrest of suspect in Chevron shooting

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Zakee Lamar Koon, 39, was arrested yesterday and charged with attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a concealed firearm without a permit after a dropped wallet led to his identification as the gunman in a shooting on Tuesday at the Chevron at 1516 SE 4th Street.

At about 8:45 p.m. on May 9, the University of Florida Police Department requested assistance from the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) after a gunshot victim was dropped off by a dark-colored sedan at Shands; the victim had gunshot wounds to his chest and leg. The victim reportedly said the shooting happened near the Chevron, and GPD officers went to the Chevron and interviewed a cashier who said he heard three gunshots around 8 p.m.

Surveillance video at the Chevron reportedly showed a man walking into the store at about 7:50 p.m. At 7:53 p.m., a Toyota Corolla arrived that matched the sedan seen in the Shands surveillance video. At 7:54 p.m., the man came out of the store and got into the back seat of the Corolla.

Read Related Also: Illinois set to become the first state to include Arab Americans in government forms

At 7:57 p.m., the back passenger door opened and the same man appeared to fall out backward, dropping a clear wallet and an object that appeared to be a firearm. As the Corolla drove away, the man picked up the firearm and shot three times at the Corolla, hitting the front passenger window and door. The Corolla drove east on SE 4th Street, and the man walked east on SE 4th Street, with the firearm still in his hand.

At 8:20 p.m., an unidentified person picked up the wallet and took it inside to the cashier, who gave it to GPD. The wallet reportedly contained Koon’s Florida ID card, food stamp card, and social security card. A sworn complaint was filed against him on May 10, and Judge Meshon Rawls issued a warrant for his arrest, with bail set at $750,000 ($500k for attempted homicide, $150k for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and $100k for carrying a concealed firearm without a permit).

Koon has 14 felony convictions (5 violent) and 15 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He was released from state prison on January 9, 2023, after serving a 46-month sentence for domestic battery/strangulation, cocaine possession, attempted unarmed robbery, and robbery by sudden snatching. Judge Mark Moseley set bail at $850,000 ($750k for attempted homicide, $50k for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and $50k for carrying a concealed firearm without a permit).

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.