Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Yesterday, Benjamin Tyrell Lewis, aged 41, was taken into custody based on a warrant accusing him of shooting into a car that had two adults and two children as occupants.

On July 29, at around 10 p.m., the victim, who had previously been in a relationship with Lewis, went to his apartment at Fairview Apartments (located in the 1600 block of NE 16th Avenue) to retrieve her cell phone, which was tracked to that location. Upon arrival, she got into a heated verbal exchange with Lewis, which turned physical, with another woman joining the altercation after Lewis allegedly urged her to “get [the victim].”

The situation de-escalated when the victim’s mother showed up, brandishing a crowbar, prompting the altercation to cease, and the victim and her mother retreated to a vehicle.

Following this, Lewis allegedly emerged from his apartment carrying a handgun, shouting threats at the victim and her mother, declaring he would kill them. He reportedly fired a shot aiming for the vehicle’s front tire but missed, and a second shot pierced through the car’s windshield, ricocheting off the dashboard. During this incident, Lewis supposedly threatened to kill everyone inside, which included two children seated in the back.

The victims recounted that Lewis repeatedly racked the slide of his gun after the second shot. Reportedly captured on surveillance footage, the victims were heard shouting, “You shot the car!”, to which Lewis allegedly replied, “Damn right, I did.” Subsequently, the victims drove away from the scene.

A responding officer from the Gainesville Police Department observed a bullet hole in the car’s windshield and noted the potential risk to anyone inside the vehicle. In front of Lewis’s apartment, officers reportedly discovered two spent shell casings and four live rounds, corroborating the victims’ report of Lewis repeatedly racking the slide. The majority of the incident was reportedly recorded on surveillance video, complete with audio of Lewis admitting to shooting at the vehicle.

Lewis has been charged with four counts of attempted premeditated homicide, firing a weapon into a vehicle, and domestic battery. He has three felony convictions (non-violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he is also facing a sworn complaint for domestic battery from April 2025. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

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.