A Gainesville man was arrested Tuesday in connection with gang-related shooting at Grove Apartments March 16.
Jordan Welch, a 19-year-old Gainesville resident, is facing charges of first-degree attempted murder and possession of a short-barreled shotgun.
The arrest comes nearly three months after the shooting. At the scene, bullets struck at least three apartments and two vehicles, according to the arrest report. Police recovered a .22-caliber rifle and several 9mm shell casings. There were no reported injuries.
Surveillance footage obtained by police showed a stolen white Volkswagen sedan arriving at the complex before gunfire began and fleeing the scene directly after the incident. Suspects wearing masks and gloves exited the vehicle, walked around the building and opened fire on a group gathered in a stairwell.
The police report said evidence supported the shooting being gang-related and that the group in the stairwell was purposefully targeted as the result of a dispute.
The placement of shell casings matched statements made by a co-defendant, according to the report.
One defendant, 18-year-old Malachi Rosario, was previously arrested on unrelated firearms charges. Another defendant was listed in the report but was unnamed.
Police later intercepted photographs showing Welch’s friends holding a short-barreled shotgun at a residence on 1239 SE 17th Drive in April.
On April 25, Gainesville police executed a search warrant at the residence and found the shotgun, which witnesses confirmed belonged to Welch.
Police also recovered an AR-style handgun during the search. Ballistics analysis matched the weapon to the shell casings found at the scene of the March shooting.
The AR-style handgun belonged to Rosario, who was arrested June 4 in connection with the shooting and charged with attempted murder.
Welch was booked in the Alachua County Jail and is being held without bond.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a journalism junior and the Summer 2025 city commission reporter. In his free time, he enjoys watching TV shows or playing basketball at Southwest Rec. He is also a big football fan and will die for Dak Prescott.
