The name of the alleged gunman who fired on Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies and barricaded himself inside his apartment before being shot and killed on Tuesday was released.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), Samuel Edgardo Rivera, 44, was shot and killed at 102 NW 9th Terrace in Gainesville on Tuesday morning after firing multiple times at ACSO deputies.
The incident started around 7:49 a.m. at an apartment complex near the University of Florida when investigators with ACSO’s Warrants Unit arrived at the residence to serve Rivera a felony arrest warrant for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Deputies had information that he was staying at his girlfriend’s residence.
Upon arrival, the deputies contacted a resident who confirmed that Rivera and his girlfriend were inside the apartment. The deputies announced who they were, that they had an arrest warrant and issued commands for Rivera to exit the apartment. After receiving no response, the deputies entered the residence to locate and arrest Rivera.
After they reached a back bedroom, deputies again gave multiple commands for Rivera to come out and, after several minutes, Rivera’s girlfriend exited the bedroom, but the door immediately closed behind her. Deputies believed Rivera remained inside the bedroom and, as they approached the door, a single gunshot was fired from inside the room in the direction of the deputies.
At 8:17 a.m., the warrants supervisor notified ASCO dispatch that shots had been fired. The deputies then left the apartment and established a perimeter while requesting additional law enforcement resources.
Officers from the Gainesville Police Department (GPD), University of Florida Police Department (UFPD) and multiple specialized units with ACSO, including SWAT, the hostage negotiations team, and the bomb squad, responded to the scene.
Law enforcement evacuated residents within the apartment building and adjacent commercial/residential structures due to the shots being fired. The roadway was closed down for motorists passing from the 800 to 1100 block along University Avenue.
A GPD hostage negotiator spent hours attempting to persuade Rivera to surrender peacefully while members of the ACSO SWAT team issued repeated commands via a public address system, informing Rivera that he was under arrest and instructing him to exit the apartment with his hands up, but the suspect failed to comply.
At 11:02 a.m., the SWAT team deployed a non-lethal chemical irritant into the apartment that is designed to compel a barricaded suspect to surrender. Rivera responded by firing multiple gunshots through a side window toward deputies. Deputies again notified dispatch that shots were being fired by the suspect.
Additional canisters of the chemical agent were deployed and a deputy reported that Rivera briefly exited the bedroom into the living room and was armed with a handgun. Rivera then retreated back into the bedroom and deputies continued to issue commands for him to drop his weapon.
A deputy then radioed that Rivera appeared at a front window and was pointing a handgun at deputies on scene. An ACSO SWAT team member fired a single round, striking Rivera. Due to his injuries, Rivera died on scene.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) was called to conduct an independent investigation, which is standard procedure following a deputy-involved shooting. The deputy who fired his weapon has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the review.