GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two men were arrested Saturday night after a fight escalated into a struggle over a handgun that discharged during the altercation, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded during the evening of June 27 to the 7100 block of Southwest Archer Road after receiving reports of a person being shot.
When deputies arrived, witnesses directed them to 26-year-old Harold Leon McMahon, who fled on foot upon seeing law enforcement. Deputies pursued him, and he was taken into custody a short distance away after allegedly ignoring repeated commands to stop.
While deputies investigated, 31-year-old Marquis Wendell Pollock approached officers while bleeding and told them he had been “jumped.”
According to the investigation, Pollock arrived at the location and caused a disturbance before becoming involved in a physical fight with another man. During the altercation, investigators said Pollock threatened to kill the other man and pulled a small handgun from his pocket.
Authorities said the firearm fell to the ground during the struggle, and McMahon picked it up. Witnesses reported hearing a loud gunshot, leading investigators to believe McMahon discharged the weapon.
Deputies recovered the handgun at the scene and found it with a spent shell casing lodged in the ejection port, indicating the firearm had malfunctioned after being fired.
A records check revealed McMahon is a convicted felon with prior convictions for grand theft and burglary.
McMahon was arrested and charged with resisting an officer without violence, reckless discharge of a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Pollock was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The investigation remains ongoing.