Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Zachery Keith Turner III, 21, was arrested yesterday after allegedly threatening to shoot two people, intentionally ramming their vehicle and assaulting two police officers while resisting arrest. One of the alleged victims, 35-year-old Latese Shandria Williams, was also arrested after reportedly entering Turner’s vehicle without permission to recover belongings she said had been stolen.
According to a Gainesville Police Department officer’s report, Williams and the second alleged victim went to Turner’s workplace, Tire Depot at 1700 N. Main Street, at approximately 6:50 p.m. on October 19. They confronted Turner about stereo equipment and jewelry they believed he had stolen from the second victim’s father. Turner reportedly denied having the property, then ran behind the building and out of sight for about 10 minutes before returning and repeating that he did not have the items.
The victims told police that after Turner left work, they drove around looking for his vehicle and located it in the 1900 block of NW 2nd Street. They allegedly got inside the vehicle to search for the missing property. The second victim said he looked up and saw Turner approaching with a rifle, leading him to believe Turner intended to shoot him.
Williams reportedly told the officer that she entered Turner’s vehicle to retrieve belongings belonging to her late husband. As she tried to remove the stereo and collect the jewelry, the second victim warned her that Turner was returning. Williams said Turner was carrying a rifle and that she feared he would shoot her “because he had nothing to lose.”
The two victims quickly drove away, and Turner allegedly followed them before deliberately striking their vehicle. The impact reportedly caused them to lose control and damaged the rear of their vehicle. After the victims managed to get away, Williams went to GPD headquarters to report the incident. The responding officer wrote that the vehicle damage was consistent with the victims’ account.
While reportedly searching for the victims, Turner lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle overturned and crashed onto private property.
Turner allegedly resisted arrest by grabbing one officer by the shoulder and placing another in a headlock. He eventually broke free and fled on foot. A K-9 team later apprehended him, but Turner allegedly refused to place his legs inside the patrol vehicle when instructed, prompting another physical struggle. He reportedly displayed seizure-like symptoms afterward and was taken to a local emergency room for treatment.
Police reportedly recovered two realistic-looking pellet handguns and approximately 30 loose 7.62 x 39 rifle rounds from Turner’s vehicle.
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After being read his Miranda rights, Turner reportedly told investigators that he was finishing his work shift when the two victims arrived and questioned him about the stolen stereo. He said an argument followed and that the victims removed the stereo system from his vehicle, prompting him to chase them. Turner denied pointing a gun at anyone or striking their vehicle. He said he drove home after losing sight of the victims but was traveling too fast and lost control, causing his vehicle to flip.
The officer interviewing Williams wrote that she made statements that could incriminate her, so he read her Miranda warning. Williams then reportedly confirmed that she had followed Turner’s vehicle to NW 2nd Street, where she found it unattended and opened the rear door without permission. She said she noticed her late husband’s belongings inside, entered the vehicle and tried to remove the stereo. Williams also said she took some jewelry but dropped it after seeing Turner approach.
Turner faces two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for allegedly striking the victims’ vehicle, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly pointing a gun at the victims, two counts of battery on law enforcement officers and resisting an officer with violence. He has a 2022 juvenile conviction and is currently on pretrial release from a June arrest involving the alleged theft of a sound system from a parked vehicle. He is also facing a Notice to Appear for allegedly shoplifting $101 worth of clothing from Walmart in May. In a letter to Judge Robert Groeb regarding the June case, Turner asked for leniency, acknowledged making bad choices and wrote that he was trying to get his life “moving in the right direction… If you decide to give me leniency, I promise I won’t waste it.”
Judge Adam Lee set Turner’s bail at $225,000.
Williams was charged with burglary of an unoccupied vehicle. She has four prior nonviolent misdemeanor convictions. Judge Lee set her bail at $5,000.
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.
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