After a shooting Tuesday night, Gainesville Police are looking for the gunman who shot a man in the face during an apparent drug deal in northeast Gainesville.
A GPD news release gave the following account:
At about 9:40 p.m., John M. Stewart and a female friend drove to Fair View Apartments, 1615 NE 16th Ave., to meet a drug dealer.
Stewart, 45, had $2,000 in cash and planned to buy Roxicodones to sell.
Stewart and the woman met Clyde Byrd III at the entrance of the complex.
Byrd, 23, got into the car, told them to park behind Apartment No. 17 and made a call from his cellphone, saying, “We’re here.” He then got out of the car and left to an unknown location.
When Stewart got out of the car, a second man, wearing dark clothes and a bandana, came out from the woods and tried to rob Stewart at gunpoint.
The men struggled, and the masked assailant shot Stewart in the face. The bullet entered his cheek, broke some of his teeth and exited his open mouth.
The shooter grabbed Stewart’s wallet, which had a small amount of money, and ran back into the woods. The $2,000 was in the car.
Stewart’s female friend called 911 and drove Stewart to Shands at UF. The two were uncooperative to medical staff and officers.
An hour and half after the incident, the woman told police her version of what happened.
Police investigated the crime scene and found blood, keys, change and a .22-caliber shell casing. Residents told officers they didn’t hear or see anything during the time of the incident.
The shooter remained at large, but police arrested Byrd on Wednesday afternoon. He is accused of a connection to the shooting and was charged with armed robbery, GPD spokeswoman Cpl. Angelina Valuri said.
Although Byrd was not the shooter, police are looking for the gunman, who is “wanted for armed robbery and attempted murder, and is considered to be armed and dangerous,” she said.
Police booked Byrd into Alachua County Jail at 6:41 p.m. Wednesday. His bond has not been set.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
