Gainesville man charged in 2 killings near UF campus

As of 7:54 a.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026

A 29-year-old Gainesville man has been charged with killing two people in a shooting early Sunday on West University Avenue, steps from the University of Florida campus, police said.

Trevez Ravell McRae was charged with two counts of first-degree homicide, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and resisting an officer without violence, the Gainesville Police Department said in an update to its release Sunday afternoon. The Gainesville Sun reported the homicide charges as first-degree murder.

Police said the shooting happened around 4 a.m. in the area of 1100 W. University Ave. Both people who were shot died at a hospital. Police have not publicly identified them, and it is not known whether either was a university student.

What police say happened

The following account comes from the police arrest report, as summarized by the local news site Alachua Chronicle. It has not been tested in court.

Officers patrolling the area at about 3:59 a.m. heard gunshots and saw McRae running through the parking lot of a gas station at 1024 W. University Ave., the report says. Officers told him to stop, but he ran, according to the report. An officer saw him drop a handgun at the corner of West University Avenue and Southwest 10th Street, and he then surrendered, the report says.

Surveillance video shows a large group arguing on the sidewalk, and the argument turning into pushing and punching, according to the report. Police say the video shows the first victim punch McRae in the head, and McRae then pull a handgun and fire at him. Police say McRae then ran up behind a second person who was walking away and shot that person. The video does not show anyone else firing a gun, the report says.

The accused's account

After being read his rights, McRae told police he had been with friends at a lounge on West University Avenue, according to the report. He said one of his friends had argued with another group earlier, and he borrowed a gun from a friend "minutes" before the shooting because he thought the argument would escalate, the report says.

McRae told officers he was trying to break up the fight and "panicked" when the first victim punched him in the face. He said he was ready to "defend myself by any means necessary," according to the report. He told police he shot the second victim because that person had been fighting with his friend. McRae denied intentionally throwing the gun away and said it must have fallen from his pocket as he ran, the report says.

Alachua Chronicle reported that McRae was on probation at the time and that a judge was expected to decide Monday whether to set bail. It was not immediately known whether he has an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Near campus

The shooting happened in the Midtown area just steps from the UF campus, the Gainesville television station WCJB reported. As of early Monday, neither the university's UF Alert emergency page nor its official statements page had posted anything about the shooting.

Police asked anyone with information to call the Gainesville Police Department at 352-393-7700, or to contact Alachua County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 352-372-STOP (7867) or online at stopcrime.tv.