HIGH SPRINGS – On May 29, the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) responded to a call involving a shooting near the Catherine Taylor Park. Officers arrived on the scene within minutes of the call and discovered an adult male victim on the ground, suffering from a single gunshot wound near the lower back. HSPD personnel administered first aid until EMS arrived on the scene. The victim was then airlifted to a local hospital where he is in stable condition.
According to an ongoing investigation, it was revealed that the victim was part of a group involved in a physical altercation with another group and the victim was allegedly shot by 19-year-old George Mack Strawder III. Strawder and others in the group fled the scene on foot and eluded a search by law enforcement.
Strawder, a resident of High Springs, is well known to HSPD and has an extensive arrest record. He had recently been arrested on a robbery charge, but was released due to the unwillingness of witnesses to testify.
“It’s really frustrating when we know of his involvement in criminal activity, arrest him on a charge, but then see them go free due to being unable to get a conviction with no testimony from witnesses,” HSPD Police Chief Antione Sheppard said.
As a result of the shooting, another arrest warrant has been issued for the Strawder. He is being charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Battery, Shooting/Throwing a Deadly Missile into a Dwelling, Shooting/Throwing a Deadly Missile into a Vehicle, and Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon.
This is the second shooting incident in the vicinity within a month. While authorities are not sure if the two incidents are related, they do believe that Strawder was involved in both cases. Due to this increased violence, HSPD will be deploying extra patrols in the affected area for the next few days and is appealing to the community to use restraint and to allow law enforcement to resolve this matter. “We are concerned that there may be retribution between the two groups so we want to get this resolved quickly,” Sheppard said.
Last year there was a series of shootings in Alachua, which were retaliatory and police believed they were gang related, including a group called 4K. Sheppard does not believe that the incident in High Springs is gang related, but rather a dispute between two groups of residents. Police believe that Strawder is still in the general area although probably not in High Springs. A task force of HSPD, U.S. Marshals and Alachua County Sheriff’s office is investigating Strawder's whereabouts.
“We want to keep our city safe, but we can't be everywhere at once, we need the cooperation of the citizens who witness incidents, so we can target the bad people and get them out of the neighborhood,” Sheppard said. “There were two daycare centers in the immediate vicinity and children were in the park when this incident occurred, which makes this particularly dangerous for the neighborhood.
“So far, we have not had many people step forward with information, but we know there were a number of witnesses and are asking them contact us so we can help resolve this situation before it gets worse. Keeping our town safe is a collaborative effort between the police and the residents in the community,” said Sheppard.
Anyone with information about this crime or the whereabouts of Strawder is encouraged to contact HSPD Detective Tracy Taylor at ttaylor@highsprings.us or 352-955-1818, or call any local law enforcement agency or Crime Stoppers 352-372-STOP and remain anonymous and be eligible for a monetary reward.
# # #
Email rcarson@
alachuatoday.com
HIGH SPRINGS – On May 29, the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) responded to a call involving a shooting near the Catherine Taylor Park. Officers arrived on the scene within minutes of the call and discovered an adult male victim on the ground, suffering from a single gunshot wound near the lower back. HSPD personnel administered first aid until EMS arrived on the scene. The victim was then airlifted to a local hospital where he is in stable condition.
According to an ongoing investigation, it was revealed that the victim was part of a group involved in a physical altercation with another group and the victim was allegedly shot by 19-year-old George Mack Strawder III. Strawder and others in the group fled the scene on foot and eluded a search by law enforcement.
Strawder, a resident of High Springs, is well known to HSPD and has an extensive arrest record. He had recently been arrested on a robbery charge, but was released due to the unwillingness of witnesses to testify.
“It’s really frustrating when we know of his involvement in criminal activity, arrest him on a charge, but then see them go free due to being unable to get a conviction with no testimony from witnesses,” HSPD Police Chief Antione Sheppard said.
As a result of the shooting, another arrest warrant has been issued for the Strawder. He is being charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Battery, Shooting/Throwing a Deadly Missile into a Dwelling, Shooting/Throwing a Deadly Missile into a Vehicle, and Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon.
This is the second shooting incident in the vicinity within a month. While authorities are not sure if the two incidents are related, they do believe that Strawder was involved in both cases. Due to this increased violence, HSPD will be deploying extra patrols in the affected area for the next few days and is appealing to the community to use restraint and to allow law enforcement to resolve this matter. “We are concerned that there may be retribution between the two groups so we want to get this resolved quickly,” Sheppard said.
Last year there was a series of shootings in Alachua, which were retaliatory and police believed they were gang related, including a group called 4K. Sheppard does not believe that the incident in High Springs is gang related, but rather a dispute between two groups of residents. Police believe that Strawder is still in the general area although probably not in High Springs. A task force of HSPD, U.S. Marshals and Alachua County Sheriff’s office is investigating Strawder's whereabouts.
“We want to keep our city safe, but we can't be everywhere at once, we need the cooperation of the citizens who witness incidents, so we can target the bad people and get them out of the neighborhood,” Sheppard said. “There were two daycare centers in the immediate vicinity and children were in the park when this incident occurred, which makes this particularly dangerous for the neighborhood.
“So far, we have not had many people step forward with information, but we know there were a number of witnesses and are asking them contact us so we can help resolve this situation before it gets worse. Keeping our town safe is a collaborative effort between the police and the residents in the community,” said Sheppard.
Anyone with information about this crime or the whereabouts of Strawder is encouraged to contact HSPD Detective Tracy Taylor at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 352-955-1818, or call any local law enforcement agency or Crime Stoppers 352-372-STOP and remain anonymous and be eligible for a monetary reward.
# # #
Email rcarson@
alachuatoday.com