Gainesville Man Sentenced 12 Years in Prison for Attempted Second-Degree Murder
On March 25, 2026, Xzavier Taylor Hawkins, 21, was sentenced to 12 years in prison with a ten-year minimum mandatory following a no contest plea and conviction of attempted second-degree murder.
Hawkins faced an additional charge for possessing a firearm with a prior juvenile adjudication but that was dismissed as part of the plea deal.
According to a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) investigation, on the night of July 2, 2025, Hawkins shot the victim, Jamari Kinsler, using a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. "The projectile entered into Vic Kinsler's upper
right shoulder and damaged his lung, until getting lodged into his middle back," Shands staff told police.
19-year-old Kelvin Baker was initially charged with shooting Kinsler by GPD, but he was later exonerated and placed under prosecution for grand theft of a firearm. Baker pleaded no contest and was granted a withheld adjudication in December as part of a plea deal. Baker is currently on probation which he is scheduled to complete in 2028.
Hawkins is currently at the Florida Department of Corrections Reception and Medical Center. He has a restitution hearing scheduled for May 18, but his plea agreement indicates he waived his appearance.
