Press Release: ACSO Gives Info on Union County Double-Homicide
Press Release from Alachua County Sheriff's Office:
On Tuesday, February 3, 2026, just after 5:00 p.m., the Alachua County Combined Communications Center received a call from the Union County Sheriff's Office regarding a double homicide that had occurred within their county in the past hour.
Union County deputies advised that a person of interest in the homicide was believed to be driving a black Ford F-150 and that the vehicle was possibly traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 441 through Alachua County, near High Springs. Deputies, High Springs Police Department officers, and Alachua Police Department officers immediately began utilizing real-time intelligence systems in an effort to locate the vehicle. Information obtained through those systems indicated the vehicle had traveled through High Springs and Alachua and was believed to have entered Interstate 75 southbound.
At approximately 5:26 p.m., Patrol Operations Deputy W. Williams notified ACSO Dispatch that he was behind the vehicle near mile marker 386, traveling south on I-75. Deputy Williams was soon joined by additional ACSO deputies, as well as troopers from the Florida Highway Patrol.
At approximately 5:30 p.m., deputies and troopers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver fled at a high rate of speed, continuing southbound on I-75. ACSO Deputies initiated a pursuit which continued south of I-75. Due to the extreme violence associated with the Union County incident and the dangerous speeds involved, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper conducted a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT), causing the vehicle to come to rest on the west shoulder of the interstate.
Deputies and troopers worked together to contain the scene and issued numerous commands for the driver to exit the vehicle. Simultaneously, the ACSO SWAT Team, ACSO Aviation Unit, Gainesville Police Department Drone Unit, and ACSO Negotiations Response Team were activated. After receiving no response for an extended period of time, members of the SWAT Team utilized specialized equipment and tactics to approach the vehicle, where they determined the lone male driver was deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
At the onset of this incident, ACSO personnel took immediate protective measures to prevent any citizen injuries by shutting down Interstate 75 in both directions.
We commend the deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers who worked together to resolve this extremely dangerous situation.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in conjunction with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating the double homicide that occurred in Union County. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Criminal Investigations Bureau are assisting FDLE with investigating the scene on I-75.
Our thoughts are with the families of the victims whose loved ones were taken by this senseless act of violence.
All media inquiries related to the Union County investigation should be directed to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Public Information Office at info@fdle.state.fl.us.
