Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Authorities have arrested 31-year-old Mykell Torrence Hicks following an incident where he allegedly discharged a firearm 17 times in the parking lot of the Phoenix Apartments.

The Gainesville Police Department responded to several reports of gunfire at approximately 4:20 p.m. on January 3 at the location of 3200 SW 26th Way, known as Phoenix Apartments. Upon arrival, eyewitnesses informed the officers that they observed several individuals fleeing into a nearby apartment after the shots were heard. Among those who emerged from the apartment was Hicks.

According to reports, after being read his Miranda rights, Hicks explained that he exited his apartment only to see an unidentified individual pointing a gun at him. In response, he sought cover behind a vehicle and retrieved his own pistol from his waistband. Hicks claimed he heard numerous shots but was unsure if they were directed at him. He then noticed the unidentified person firing towards a group of people situated north of the complex and decided to fire approximately 17 rounds in that direction.

Hicks stated that following his gunfire, he retreated back inside and placed the weapon on the counter. Although uncertain if his shots struck anyone, he suspected that one of the bullets may have hit the window of a black Cadillac.

The responding officer noted that Hicks’s discharge of multiple rounds was “reckless,” given the densely populated nature of the apartment complex and the presence of numerous residents and civilians in the vicinity.

Officers reportedly found multiple shell casings in the parking lot near the area where Hicks said he fired the shots.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the apartment, and the search reportedly produced about 491.3 grams of marijuana in Hicks’s bedroom, along with resealable baggies and a scale; the quantity is “indicative of someone who sells narcotics.”

Hicks has been charged with firing a weapon in public and possession of marijuana with intent to sell. He has no local criminal convictions, and Judge Phillip Pena set bail at $175,000.

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.