A bystander sustained severe injuries after being hit by stray bullets during an altercation between two men. This was one of two shooting incidents that occurred early Wednesday morning.
A man named Jonathan Vance, aged 25 was taken into custody on charges of attempted second-degree murder. He is currently being held in the Leon County Detention Facility.
According to an update sent via email by the Tallahassee Police Department, Vance engaged in an argument with another man around 1:20 a.m. outside the Trapican Way gas station on Lake Bradford Road. While attempting to shoot the man, one of the bullets struck a bystander who was sitting nearby.
The woman suffered serious gunshot wounds in her arm and torso and was promptly transported to a local hospital, as per the TPD. It remains unclear whether she was acquainted with the two men involved, noted TPD spokesperson Heather Merritt.
A little over an hour later, another incident was reported at the junction of FAMU Way and South Adams Street. Police officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area but found no victims at the scene, according to TPD.
Around 4 a.m., authorities received information that a man had arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg that was not life-threatening.
“Preliminary findings suggest that the shooting stemmed from an argument that took place in a parking lot in the 1300 block of South Adams Street,” stated TPD.
No arrests have been made in connection with this latter incident, but the case remains open.
These two events bring the tally of shootings in Tallahassee and Leon County to at least 55 for the current year. In 2023 so far, there have been 13 fatalities and at least 42 injuries due to gun violence, according to an analysis by the Tallahassee Democrat.
