Man dead, Interstate 75 shutdown for hours in Alachua County

MICANOPY, Fla.(The Gainesville Sun) – A man was found dead and Interstate 75 was shut down in both directions for hours on Saturday after an exchange of gunfire near the Micanopy exit.

Northbound and southbound traffic on Interstate 75 was closed at mile marker 374 near Micanopy after an armed man fired a handgun at a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

After a lengthy search, authorities found a body with a gunshot wound a few hundred yards from the interstate, authorities said. The body is believed to be that of the suspected gunman.

FHP Sgt. Tracy Pace said the trooper was unharmed.

Shortly after 2 p.m., southbound I-75 was reopened, but the interstate remained shut down northbound, and authorities were asking for northbound travelers to get off the interstate in Ocala or further south to take an alternate route north.