A Gainesville man was charged with violating his probation and carrying a concealed weapon after police responded to reports of gunshots fired at the Oaks Mall Saturday evening.
Elijah Williams, 19, was reportedly at Kay Jewelers with a woman to get her ring resized. Three men followed him inside, shouting, and the verbal altercation escalated to a physical one, according to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
Williams allegedly pulled a handgun out of his waistband and fired one round, hitting a jewelry case. He and the three men ran out of the mall, and Williams threw the gun into a nearby retention pond, according to the report.
Police arrived at the Oaks Mall around 5 p.m. There were no reported injuries, according to the report.
Officers caught up with Williams and arrested him at about 7:30 p.m. He admitted to owning the firearm and throwing it in the pond. He remains in custody.
Williams is under the 21-year-old age requirement to carry a concealed firearm. Owning and carrying a firearm also violated his probation for a previous crime, according to court records. Williams was arrested for attempting to flee a law enforcement officer following a traffic violation in 2024.
Contact Vanessa Norris at vnorris@alligator.org. Follow her on X @vanessajnorris.
