A Lake City Police Department officer was shot and injured while providing crowd control at a community Easter Celebration on Sunday, April 20, 2025. The incident occurred at the Annie Mattox Recreation Center on NE Center Avenue, an annual event attended by several thousand people.
At approximately 8:06 P.M., an altercation broke out among attendees. As officers from the Lake City Police Department and deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office attempted to intervene, gunshots were fired, and Lake City Police Officer Marcus Hardison was struck.
Officer Hardison sustained a gunshot wound to his right arm and was transported to a nearby trauma center for treatment. Officer Hardison, a K-9 handler, was not with his K-9 partner, Niko, at the time of the incident. He has been with the Lake City Police Department for four and a half years.
Addressing false rumors on social media, Chief of Police Gerald Butler clarified, “No officers or deputies discharged their service weapons during this incident.”
The Lake City Police Department expressed gratitude to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, Lake City Fire Department, Columbia County Emergency Medical Services, and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance during and after the shooting.
Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has video footage to contact Lake City Police Department detectives at (386) 752-4343.
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