Detectives have arrested a Lake City man after shots were fired into an unoccupied vehicle and an occupied residence early Wednesday morning.
Shortly before 6:00am on Wednesday, July 17th, a deputy who was at the Columbia County Detention Facility heard several rapid gunshots which seemed to be coming from East of his location. Upon responding to the area to investigate, he was directed by witnesses to a residence on NE Laverne Street where the incident took place. Upon arrival, deputies observed several shell casings in the roadway, and a vehicle in the driveway which had been struck several times by gunfire. The vehicle was unoccupied. Upon further examination, it was discovered that bullets had also struck the residence where the vehicle was parked. The residence was occupied at the time, but nobody was injured.
Further investigation led to the identity of a suspect, who had an altercation with a resident of the home a few hours prior. The altercation appears to be an isolated domestic dispute. Investigation led deputies to the suspect’s residence on NE Nye Hunter Drive. Due to the violent nature of the call and their being a possibility of other people inside the residence with the suspect, CCSO SWAT and Negotiations Teams were utilized to aid in the apprehension of the suspect. The suspect, Matthew Gooch (34), was located inside the home and was taken into custody without incident.
Sheriff Hunter stated, “It is a shame that people let personal issues rise to the level where they commit criminal acts. I am glad no one was injured as a result of this suspect’s dangerous behavior. I am proud of our deputies and detectives for locating and apprehending this suspect so quickly to ensure the safety of our community.”
Following his arrest, Gooch was transported to CCSO Operations to be interviewed. Gooch will be charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling and shooting into and unoccupied conveyance. His bond will be set at $200,000.
