A Newberry man died after he was shot near Champions Park Thursday night.
Deputies responded to a report of a man lying on the ground next to a vehicle at 24000 block of Southwest 30th Avenue around 10:25 p.m., according to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post. They found 53-year-old Newberry resident Joseph Malone dead with a gunshot wound about two and a half miles southeast of his house and a mile and a half south of Newberry Elementary School.
ACSO spokesperson Art Forgey said police determined the death a homicide.
Malone’s body was found about three miles from where a woman was stabbed in her home last month.
This was the first homicide this week after two last week, Forgey said. Police arrested an individual involved in a domestic violence shooting. The date of the incident is unclear as of Saturday. A 16-year-old girl also died in a Southwest Archer Road neighborhood shooting June 5.
“We try to bring justice for those that are family members of the victim,” he said.
As of Saturday afternoon, police have made no arrests.
Forgey encouraged residents with any information related to the homicide to contact 352-955-1818. For anonymity, contact Crime Stoppers at 352-372-7867.
“You may think it's something very minor,” he said, “but it could be an important piece of evidence.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Mickenzie Hannon at mhannon@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @MickenzieHannon.
Mickenzie is the local elections reporter and previously covered city and county commission for The Alligator’s Metro Desk. She's a fourth-year journalism major and is specializing in data journalism. When Mickenzie isn’t writing, she enjoys watching horror movies, reading, playing with her pets and attending concerts.
