A fight at Sherwood Oaks Apartments in Alachua erupted into gunfire Thursday morning, sending two people to the hospital and triggering lockdowns at three nearby schools, including Irby Elementary. Alachua police said one person has been detained, but a second suspect — described as a Black man in his early 20s, standing 6 feet to 6 feet 3 inches tall — remained at large as of Thursday afternoon.
Police told wcjb.com they received calls about 8:30 a.m. reporting a fight at the apartment complex in which metal bats were used and shots were fired. Two people were taken to the hospital, but officers said their injuries were not gunshot wounds and may instead have been caused by the bats. According to Mainstreet Daily News, the heavy law enforcement presence centered on the 13500 block of NW 140th Street, where officers asked the public to avoid the area until further notice.
By 1 p.m., one person had been detained while officers continued searching for a second individual, per the Alachua Chronicle. Police said they were aware of where the second subject was located and were working with them, though it was not clear from that statement whether the person had been taken into custody. The outstanding suspect was last seen wearing green clothing near the Sherwood Oaks and Irby Elementary area.
Schools Locked Down as a Precaution
Irby Elementary and two other nearby schools were placed on lockdown while the search played out, though police stressed the schools themselves were not involved in the incident. The same report notes parents at all three schools were able to pick up their children Thursday afternoon.
The Alachua Police Department led the response, with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office providing SWAT resources to assist in the search, the station's report states. Officers urged anyone who spotted a person matching the suspect's description not to approach and to call 911 immediately. Alachua police said they would provide updates as more information becomes available, according to Mainstreet Daily News.
A Familiar Scramble for Alachua Schools
Thursday's lockdowns echo a similar scare from September 2025, when an Alachua County SWAT search for a suspect prompted a lockdown at a nearby high school, as WCJB reported at the time. It is the kind of disruption that has become an uneasy pattern for families in the area whenever a police search unfolds close to school grounds.
As of Thursday evening, police had not released the identities of either person taken to the hospital or provided further details on their conditions. It also remains unclear whether the search for the second individual had concluded.
