The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has identified the gunman who reportedly shot a local man Wednesday morning as Timothy Williams, 27.
Just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, deputies found a man’s body, later identified as Van S. Gourdine, 36, with a gunshot wound to the head outside a room at Americas Best Value Inn, located at 7413 W. Newberry Road. Williams told deputies he had shot the gun, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Art Forgey said.
Williams was in the motel room with Gourdine’s ex-girlfriend, Shermil Perry, 29, when Gourdine broke the room’s window trying to reach Perry. Gourdine had searched for Perry for several days and had threatened to hurt her, according to a sheriff’s office press release.
Williams and Perry have been friends for some time, Forgey said, but it is unclear how long the two have known each other.
Though deputies are still investigating the incident, Forgey said the shooting appears to be justified after listening to witness testimonies and obtaining voicemails and text messages left by Gourdine.
“We don’t anticipate any charges being filed,” Forgey said. He said after deputies finished investigating, it would be presented to the state attorney’s office for further review.
Gourdine was charged in more than 30 criminal cases in Alachua County and Polk County, according to county records. In December, deputies arrested Gourdine for reportedly slapping Perry in the face, but charges were dropped in February due to insufficient evidence.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 3/20/2015]
