Gainesville Police arrested a UF student accused of shooting and injuring three people after somebody tried to rob him in front of Butler North’s Walmart parking lot Sunday Night.
Khalil Reed, 24, is accused of firing multiple shots into a car in the parking lot after about two pounds of marijuana were stolen from him at about 8:45 p.m., police wrote in an arrest report.
He was not charged for the shooting itself as of early Monday morning.
A 20-year-old man and two other people were injured and taken to UF Health, according to a Gainesville police release Monday morning.
Two people at the scene told The Alligator they were close friends with a person named Reed. One declined to comment. The other agreed to speak with The Alligator but wished to remain anonymous.
UF Spokesperson Steve Orlando and Reed’s friend said Reed is a UF family, youth and community sciences senior. The arrest report said Reed is a UF student and his name appears on the UF student directory.
UF does not have a statement about the incident as of early Monday morning, said UF spokesperson Steve Orlando.
Four people initially met up with Reed to buy the marijuana, according to the GPD release. Reed later shot at the car several times with a handgun.
His friend said he “ran over as fast as he could,” when he received a call about what happened. His also said Reed is a smart person and usually maintains a calm demeanor.
“He just got caught up,” the man told The Alligator. “He reacted off impulse”
Nico Diaz, a 22-year-old Jersey Mikes Sub’s employee, told The Alligator that a man who looked like he was shot ran into the restaurant, located across the street, less than 10 minutes after police say the incident happened, looking for help.
“I was just in shock,” Diaz told The Alligator Sunday night.
Gainesville Police tweeted a minute after the statement that they were investigating reports of a shooting Sunday night. On Monday morning, police said they found the marijuana in the car .
What looked like about a dozen bullet holes filled the windows of a gray-colored Hynduai parked outside of Jersey Mike’s Subs. Authorities labeled in “forensic” looked over what appeared to be blood on parts of the restaurant’s floor.
Reed remains in the Alachua County Jail on a felony charge of marijuana possession with intent to sell on no bond as of early Monday morning, according to county records.
Nico Diaz, 22, talks with an officer Sunday night in front of the Jersey Mike's in Butler Plaza. Behind them is a gray Hyundai with at least 10 bullet holes.
