Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Cornelius Davon Henderson, 35, of Tallahassee, was arrested yesterday after police say he fired a handgun into the air while threatening a former girlfriend and her infant child.
According to a Gainesville Police Department officer who responded to the incident, the woman had taken her one-year-old child to a Pine Ridge residence to spend time with friends. She told the officer she saw Henderson at the location, but said he only purchased “weed” before leaving.
The woman later walked south on NW 23rd Terrace and reported that a maroon or burgundy vehicle pulled up beside her. She said Henderson asked her for a lighter, and when she told him she wanted nothing to do with him, he became upset, held a purple handgun out of the vehicle, pointed it upward, and said, “I’m gonna fire this [expletive] gun” before discharging one round into the air. The victim told police she feared for her safety when the shot was fired.
Friends of the victim at the Pine Ridge residence reportedly told the officer they heard a gunshot coming from south of the home.
Using law enforcement databases, the officer learned that Henderson and his current girlfriend had been stopped in a red vehicle on June 29. Police later found that vehicle, registered to Henderson’s girlfriend, parked outside her Oak Glade residence.
The officer reported that while he was checking the vehicle, Henderson’s girlfriend came outside and said the car had not been to Pine Ridge, Henderson was not inside her home, and her firearm was locked inside the residence. After a “lengthy” conversation, she allegedly acknowledged that Henderson had been staying with her for several months and that they had driven to Pine Ridge earlier that day to buy “weed.” She also reportedly said she owned a purple gun and allowed officers to retrieve it from her car; police reported collecting a loaded purple 9mm handgun from the vehicle.
When the officer spoke with Henderson by phone, Henderson allegedly said he had left for Tallahassee, had not been to Pine Ridge that day, had not contacted the victim, and had not fired a gun. Henderson later came out of the residence and was detained, though he continued to deny having a firearm that day.
A search at the jail reportedly produced a 9mm bullet in Henderson’s pocket.
Henderson has been charged with two counts of domestic aggravated assault with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. His full criminal history is unavailable because of the holiday, but he has served two state prison sentences, with his last release in October 2025. Judge Jonathan Ramsey set bail at $120,000.
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.
