Florida Man News – August 31
August 31 – ‘Agitated’ Florida Man Fires Shots Into Neighborhood Parade
A Florida man acted as a real-life grinch and began shooting into the site of the Middleburg Parade, authorities say.
Identified as Douglas Moore, the suspect resided in a house close to the parade’s location at the 4100 block of County Road 218 in Middleburg, Florida. According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Moore “became agitated by the activities generated by parade attendees.” He then discharged a pistol several times near the gathering.
The county’s SWAT Fugitive Task Force officers worked as security for the parade, and Sheriff Michelle Cook said they immediately reacted to the sounds of gunfire. According to the arrest report, deputies found Moore near several individuals who demanded to know why he fired a handgun at them.
Although Moore refused to comply with orders to get on the ground, deputies were able to take him to the ground and then into police custody. They later transported him to Clay County jail.
The arrest affidavit noted that authorities found signs of injuries among any of the parade’s attendees. There were also no indications that attendees had “ever entered the defendant’s property” or disturbed the peace.
An investigator found evidence that the suspect acted under the influence of alcohol. The report noted Moore’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and he used slurred speech when speaking to deputies.
Police charged Moore with six counts of aggravated assault with a gun and reckless discharge of a firearm. He also faces charges of use of a firearm while intoxicated.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office declared that the swift action of law enforcement protected parade-goes from tragedy during the incident.
“I am thankful for the quick response by the deputies who ran toward the sound of gunfire to keep our community safe,” Cook said.
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August 31 – Florida Boy Arrested for Reporting Fake Shooting to Go Home Early From School
A Florida boy faces charges after placing a hoax 911 call about a shooting because he wanted the day off from school.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the middle school student placed the call from his friend’s phone after the friend left his device unattended. The boy made the call shortly before the school day began at Horizon Academy in Marion Oaks, approximately 70 miles northwest of Orlando.
“Help, there is a school shooter walking through the hallway,” the boy told a dispatcher in the recently released 911 recording.
When asked for additional details, the boy responded, “He’s coming, he’s coming” before hanging up.
Standard protocol required the school building to go into lockdown so that armed officers could search the building. The response squad required the collaboration of state and federal law enforcement agencies and included a SWAT team, aviation unit, and several K-9s. Throughout the evacuation and search process, authorities noted distress and visible “fear levels” among faculty and students at the school.
Authorities later called off the search when they could not identify any armed assailants or threats to the school’s staff or attendees. Investigators later traced the phone and identified the boy who made the faux call.
Police arrested and charged middle schooler with making false report of a mass shooting, using a two-way device to facilitate a felony, disrupting a school, and misuse of the 911 emergency system.
When asked if the punishment was too harsh for a minor, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said the charges fit the crime.
“This student put fear into his fellow students, staff, and parents,” Woods said. “For what? A prank?”
The sheriff also noted that Florida law demands that individuals convicted of filing false reports must pay for the costs incurred during law-enforcement response. According to Woods, the costs of this case could add up to ” hundreds upon hundreds of man-hours.”
Woods added that the boy “is going to need to mow a lot of lawns to pay that bill.”
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