A Florida man pulled out a gun and aimed it at an officer Sunday, Gainesville Police said. The officer fired at him twice but missed.
James Vincent Barber, 18, was driving a white Nissan in Woodland Park Apartments, located at 1900 SE 4th St., at about 6:48 p.m. when he saw five police cars at the entrance of the complex, said Officer Ben Tobias, GPD spokesperson. He sped past the officers toward the back of the complex while a chase began.
Police sirens wailed as Barber fled for about a quarter of a mile, he said.
Earlier in the day, officers received a 911 call that Barber would be going to T.B. McPherson Park in retaliation for a previous shooting, according to an arrest report. Officers attempted to intercept him.
Barber’s car came to a stop, according to the report.
A GPD officer, in fear of his life, shot twice at Barber missing him both times, according to the report. A passenger in the car ran away, and police have not located him or her, although Tobias said police know the passenger's identity.
After being shot at, Barber ran from police, and a .40-caliber handgun magazine, loaded with bullets, was found in the area he ran through, according to the report.
The gun recovered from the suspect.
For an hour, police searched for Barber using a helicopter unit, police dogs and multiple patrol cars, according to the press release.
Another 911 call reported Barber was at the park, and police spotted him in the parking lot at about 7:45 p.m., according to the report. He saw an approaching officer, got into an SUV and left the scene.
Police pulled over the SUV and arrested Barber, according to the report.
After his arrest, Barber told police he fled officers because he didn’t have a valid driver's license, according to the report. He also said the gun he pointed at police was a water gun that had an orange tip.
Police took him to the scene and he pointed to an area where he discarded the gun but it was not there, according to the report. He said the loaded magazine found was not his.
On Monday, police found a black handgun in Evergreen Cemetery, which is on the path police believe Barber took to get to the park, according to a GPD press release. Police believe this handgun was the gun Barber was holding before the shooting.
The officer who shot at Barber was placed on administrative duty pending an investigation, according to the press release.
“Officers have to prepare for the worst in situations like this,” Tobias said. “We are very happy that no one, including our officer, was hurt.”
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the shooting that Barber was allegedly reacting to, said Art Forgey, an ACSO spokesperson.
Later, a local emergency room reported a gunshot victim with a bullet in his or her back, Forgey said. The bullet was recovered and deputies are continuing to investigate the shooting, separate from GPD detectives.
James Vincent Barber
“At this time, because we have no cooperating witnesses or participants, we don’t know a lot about what went on,” he said.
Police arrested Barber on charges of aggravated assault on a police officer, tampering with evidence, resisting arrest, fleeing officers and driving without a license. Authorities took him to Alachua County Jail where he remains, as of press time, in lieu of a $15,000 bond.
Contact Meryl Kornfield at mkornfield@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @MerylKornfield
