A man and his dog were seriously injured when a man allegedly opened fire on them in the parking lot behind the Publix at 160 Mariner Boulevard in Spring Hill on Tuesday morning, and deputies took a suspect into custody at the scene. The shooting unfolded just after 10:15 a.m., sending shockwaves through a quiet shopping plaza on an otherwise ordinary weekday.
Deputies said several people called 911 around 10:15 a.m. to report shots fired behind the store, according to wfla.com. Investigators say the suspect approached a person he knew and demanded money and “anything of value.” That person hid, and the suspect then shot a separate, unrelated bystander and the bystander’s dog in a nearby vehicle after the dog barked. Both were shot more than once, deputies said.
The man was taken to a trauma center, while the injured dog was stabilized at animal services before being rushed to an emergency surgery center for animals, the station reports. Despite the severity of the attack, the sheriff's office said both the dog and the man are expected to fully recover.
Suspect Confronted After Returning to the Scene
According to FOX 13, the suspected shooter had tried to rob a family member who was parked in a tow truck behind the store before the gunfire erupted. The station reported the suspect left the area afterward but later returned, and witnesses who had seen the crime unfold spotted him and alerted deputies.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis said deputies believed the suspect may have considered using his gun against law enforcement before changing course. “He was reaching back in for the gun and may have wanted to engage deputies,” Nienhuis said, per the same FOX 13 report. The man was then taken into custody outside the store without further incident, per wfla.com.
As of the stations' reporting Tuesday evening, both the injured man and the dog were listed as stable. The sheriff's office had not said what charges the suspect would face as investigators continued piecing together what happened.
Conflicting Reports on Suspect's Identity
Accounts of the case have diverged on key details. FOX 13 identified the suspected shooter as 51-year-old Randall Lynn Gerding Jr. Separately, a Facebook update from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office indicates that investigators sought information about the whereabouts of a man identified as Xavier Lathaniel Hart. The two accounts have not been reconciled.
An early-stage investigation suggested the suspected shooter may have been involved in some sort of altercation in Pasco County before arriving at the Spring Hill Publix, according to wesh.com. That detail remains part of what investigators have described as an extremely preliminary look into the events leading up to the shooting.
How to Help the Investigation
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office says members of the public can report information directly to deputies, and anonymous tipsters can also contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-TIPS (8477) or dial **TIPS (8477). Investigators have not announced what charges, if any, will ultimately be filed in the case.
