2 gunmen fatally shoot man holding baby at home

Author: Associated Press
Published: Updated:
Stock file image. MGN

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – A 35-year-old father is dead and his 11-month-old daughter is recovering from a gunshot wound after two masked men stormed into their house in Gainesville and starting firing shots from the front doorway, Gainesville police said Thursday.

The shooting, which happened about 11:39 p.m. Wednesday, also left a 21-year-old man who was inside the house injured. Both he and the infant were shot in the arm and their injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said in a news release.

According to Gainesville police spokesman Ben Tobias, there were more than 20 people in the house when the men started shooting. He said many of them were running down the street when officers started arriving less than one minute after getting a 911 call.

He said Antonio Mason was holding his daughter when he was shot in the chest. He died at the scene. Tobias said officers put tourniquets on the arms of the child and the other victim to help stabilize them before paramedics arrived. They were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Investigators say the shooters ran from the home and a search by multiple police officers, helicopters and K-9 units yielding nothing.

Tobias said officers don’t yet know the motive for the shooting.

“What kind of person can point a gun at a father holding an infant and make the barbaric decision to pull that trigger,” Tobias said in the statement.

He said the department has increased patrols in the neighborhood as the investigation continues.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.