Police arrested a homeless man for shooting another man in the groin near downtown Gainesville early Tuesday morning.
After responding to the sound of nearby gunshots on South Main Street at about 11:30 p.m. Monday, officers found James Everett Lee of Archer shot in the groin and laying on the ground at the entrance of Haisley Lynch Dog Park, located at 414-424 S. Main St., across the street from the St. Francis House homeless shelter, wrote Gainesville Police spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias in an email.
Witnesses told police the shooter was 23-year-old Ishmael Burgos, who had driven away in a black vehicle. Witnesses also told police that Lee and Burgos had gotten in a physical fight the night before, Tobias said.
When police found Burgos walking along a trail in the 300 block of SE Williston Road, Tobias said he admitted to shooting Lee. Burgos shot Lee to “scare him,” Tobias said.
According to the report, Burgos also told police that the night before, Lee had attacked him with a knife. Tobias said Lee, whose groin injury was not fatal, had surgery at UF Health Shands Hospital on Tuesday morning.
As of Wednesday evening, Burgos remains in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $75,000 bond. He faces a charge of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon.
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
