A Gainesville man was put into custody Thursday night on suspicion of attempting to kill a woman for driving near his home.
Paul Pacheco, 53, is charged with three counts of attempted homicide, possession of a firearm as a felon and two counts of animal cruelty.
The Gainesville Police Department responded to a call around 4:06 p.m. at Northwest 11th Avenue after reports of a shooting.
There, a woman told law enforcement that while driving around the area looking for her cat, Pacheco allegedly shot at her car several times, according to the press release.The shots shattered her window, causing the glass to cut her face. A baby and seven cats were also in the car.
Two of her cats were allegedly shot by Pacheco, killing one. The baby was unharmed, and the woman was taken to UF Health Shands Hospital, according to the release.
The remaining cats were taken to a shelter by Animal Control.
When law enforcement later questioned Pacheco, he allegedly said he shot at the car because it kept driving by his house, according to the release.
Pacheco was arrested and taken to Alachua County Jail, with bond set at $1,510,000.
His next court date isn’t known as of Friday morning.
Contact Aidan Bush at abush@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @aidandisto.
Aidan Bush is a fourth-year journalism major and the Summer 2024 Editor-in-Chief of The Alligator. In his free time, he likes to listen to music and go kayaking.
