Residents urged to shelter in place as deputies search for armed suspect in NW Gainesville

(This communicative has been updated with further information.)

The Alachua County Sheriff's Office is informing those successful the country of the Hills of Santa Fe vicinity successful northwest Gainesville to structure successful spot and fastener their doors portion instrumentality enforcement searches for an equipped suspect.

According to an ACSO societal media post, the fishy is described arsenic a 14-year-old Black male, lasting astir 5-feet tall. He was past seen wearing a grey garment and orangish oregon reddish hoops shorts.

"If you unrecorded successful the area, delight structure successful spot and support your doors locked arsenic deputies effort to find the suspect. The fishy is wanted for a convulsive felony crime," the station says.

Residents are urged to telephone 911 if they spot the suspect, oregon dial 352-955-1818, enactment 5, if they spot thing suspicious.

ACSO vehicles could beryllium seen astir 6 p.m. stationed extracurricular respective neighborhoods successful the area, including the Hills of Santa Fe and Meadowbrook connected Northwest 98th Street and Countryside and Wellington Place connected Northwest 39th Avenue. A chopper besides could beryllium seen circling the area.

A performance scheduled for 6:30 p.m. astatine adjacent Meadowbrook Elementary School has been canceled owed to the search.

In a 7:20 p.m. update connected Facebook, the sheriff's bureau posted that the "scene is inactive precise progressive and the fishy is inactive outstanding."

K-9 units and SWAT squad members are connected the scene, according to the post, and the ACSO Aviation Unit and the Alachua County Fire Rescue Drone Team are assisting successful the search.

"We convey each of the residents successful the contiguous country for their patience arsenic we effort to peacefully resoluteness this incident."

(This communicative volition beryllium updated arsenic much accusation becomes available.)

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected The Gainesville Sun: ACSO searches for equipped fishy successful NW Gainesville