LAKE CITY, Fla. – On Monday, a woman was cleaning up what was left behind from an Easter Sunday celebration at the Annie Mattox Recreation Center on Northeast Center Avenue in Lake City.
It’s a very different image from last night, when things turned violent.
According to Lake City police, Officer Marcus Hardison was shot in his right arm and taken to the UF Gainesville trauma center for treatment. Police said he was shot while trying to break up a fight.
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Two people who spoke to News4JAX said they were at the center before the shooting and said the night was fun and calm before the shooting.
“It was a great time, it was like everybody was vibing like one together, having a good time,” Ayanna Crusaw said.
Lake City police said just after 8 p.m., as Lake City Police Department, alongside deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, were providing crowd control and a fight broke out among several people, and that’s when Hardison got shot.
“All you saw was the crowd went to shift like breaking apart and everybody went to running,” Crusaw said.
More police and deputies arrived, and the investigation began as people left.
Three people were taken into custody and interviewed, but no one has been arrested in connection with the shooting.
Shortly after the shooting, rumors began to circulate that another officer shot Hardison. The Lake City Chief of Police said that’s not true.
“No officer or deputy discharged their weapon during the incident. We did a weapons check and made sure of that,” said Chief Gerald Butler.
Police said Hardison is now out of surgery and recovering.
Annie Maddox Park was back to normal on Monday, but there could be some changes for future events, possibly a larger police presence.
“Considering the size of the crowd and that’s a private park, I’m dealing with the sheriff, we are going to get together and determine what else we need to do to make the event safe because we do have events up there on a regular basis,” Butler said.
Police continue to investigate who fired the gun that injured the officer.
The three people taken into custody were arrested on charges unrelated to the incident.
The Lake City Police Department is asking anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have video footage to contact detectives at 386-752-4343.
