A gunman opened fire on Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officers responding to a 911 call of a shot fired early Wednesday morning on East University Avenue.

Officers returned fire in an extended standoff that ended with the gunman shot and killed. Two officers were injured in the standoff, one in the upper body and the other in the lower body. Both officers were taken to UF Health Shands Hospital before being released hours later.

“Our officers, by the grace of God, were able to engage the suspect in a violent exchange of gunfire, resulting in the death of the assailant who passed on scene,” GPD Chief Nelson Moya told reporters on scene.

After the gunfire, law enforcement surveyed the entire scene and located a victim who had been shot and killed in Imeca Lumber & Hardware on East University Avenue. The incident happened around 8 a.m., and hours later, GPD kept the road blocked to all traffic while multiple law enforcement agencies investigated.

According to the GPD, officers in three patrol vehicles responded to a shots-fired report that identified a red car containing the suspect. Moya told reporters that within a minute, the first GPD officer arrived on scene and spotted a red car leaving the KFC parking lot.

The officer began to engage the vehicle when the suspect got out and started shooting, GPD said. Two other officers were also responding and came under fire.

Law enforcement closed East University Avenue between Waldo Road and Hawthorne Road. The closed scene left the red car in the middle of University Avenue, along with all three responding GPD vehicles, where they stopped.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting the investigation because of the officer-involved shooting.

Moya said GPD believes the deceased gunman parked behind KFC, walked to Imeca Lumber & Hardware, where he shot the victim and walked back to his car to leave. That’s where officers encountered him exiting the parking lot.

“I do want to thank our public,” Moya said. “I understand this was very, very chaotic, and people going to school and work, and we’ve interrupted all of it. So I apologize, but I’m also grateful that people have shown the patience as we deal with this extremely large and complex scene.”

GPD detectives identified the victim found inside Imeca Lumber as Eduardo P. Rodriguez, 23. The suspect responsible for his killing, who also engaged in the shootout with GPD officers, was identified as Justin D. Long, 31.

Moya assured residents that the surrounding neighborhoods are safe and the incident, which he and elected officials called an anomaly, was over.

Mayor Harvey Ward and Gainesville Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker also pointed to the city’s efforts to reduce gun violence. In 2025, there were three people murdered in Gainesville—a reduction from eight in 2024 and 16 in 2023.

“This is certainly not the way we want to start the year off, but as the chief mentioned, this is an anomaly,” Ward said.