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Press release from Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A serious incident unfolded on Tuesday, February 3, just after 5:00 p.m., when the Alachua County Combined Communications Center was contacted by the Union County Sheriff’s Office. The call concerned a recent double homicide in Union County.
Union County deputies informed that a suspect in the homicide was likely driving a black Ford F-150, thought to be heading north on U.S. Highway 441 through Alachua County, near High Springs. Officers from the High Springs Police Department, Alachua Police Department, and deputies quickly began using real-time intelligence tools to track the vehicle. These tools indicated that the truck had passed through High Springs and Alachua and was now believed to be moving southbound on Interstate 75.
Around 5:26 p.m., Patrol Operations Deputy W. Williams reported to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Dispatch that he was following the vehicle near mile marker 386 on I-75 heading south. Additional ACSO deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers soon joined him.
At approximately 5:30 p.m., law enforcement attempted to stop the vehicle. However, the driver sped off, continuing south on I-75. Given the severity of the crime and the high-speed chase, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper executed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT), forcing the vehicle to stop on the interstate’s west shoulder.
Deputies and troopers collaborated to secure the scene, repeatedly instructing the driver to exit the vehicle. Meanwhile, the ACSO SWAT Team, ACSO Aviation Unit, Gainesville Police Department Drone Unit, and ACSO Negotiations Response Team were activated. After extended silence from the driver, SWAT Team members used specialized equipment to approach the vehicle, discovering that the lone male driver had died 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.
