A 25-year-old man, Justin Le’on Claridy, has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a Lake City Police Department officer during a community Easter Celebration on Sunday, April 20, 2025.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:06 P.M. at the Annie Mattox Recreation Center on NE Center Avenue, where officers and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputies were providing crowd control for the annual event, which draws several thousand attendees. An altercation broke out, and as law enforcement intervened, gunfire erupted, striking a Lake City Police officer.
Following a week-long investigation involving numerous leads and the review of surveillance footage, detectives arrested Claridy on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Claridy, who had been released from prison the previous week, is charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Authorities anticipate further arrests in the case.
Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Lake City Police Department at (386) 752- 4343 or report information anonymously through the LCPD TIPS line at (386) 719-2068 or Crime Stoppers of Columbia County at (386) 754-7099.
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