Local man charged with attempted murder near campus

Following a shooting less than a mile from campus, Gainesville Police charged a local man Tuesday with attempted murder.

At about 10:40 p.m. Monday, Everett Alexander McKnight, 26, shot a man in the 600 block of SW Third St., about 0.8 miles east of UF’s Norman Hall, according to a police report.

McKnight told police he got into an argument with the man over a narcotics sale, and the man came to his home and shot at him first, according to the report. McKnight said he then grabbed his shotgun, looked for the man and fired multiple times in his direction.

The man told police he heard his dog barking in the common area of his apartment building and stepped outside to check it out, according to the report. That’s when he heard the blast of McKnight’s shotgun.

One round struck the man in the leg, and he quickly ran to a nearby apartment for help, according to the report.

When police investigated the incident, they said there was no evidence the man had fired first, as McKnight alleged, according to the report.

Police charged McKnight, a twice-convicted felon, with attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the report. As of press time, he is being held at the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bond.