Eduardo Pardo Rodriguez, a 23-year-old employee of a lumber company, was killed in a sad occurrence that resulted in a deadly gunfight with police on Wednesday morning, January 14, 2026.
The attacker identified as Justin Dewayne Long, 31, parked his car behind a nearby KFC on East University Avenue before making his way to Imeca Lumber & Hardware on foot. Rodriguez was working inside the business when Long arrived just before 8:00 a.m. and, for reasons that seem completely random, shot and murdered him.
The Gainesville Police Department responded within minutes to a 911 call reporting gunfire. Officers quickly located a red car matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle as it was leaving the KFC parking lot. As they moved to intercept him, Long exited his car and, without warning, launched what Chief Moya described as an “ambush-style attack,” opening fire on the officers with speed and aggression.
In the ensuing confrontation, two Gainesville police officers were shot. One officer sustained a wound to the upper body, while the other was shot in the lower body. Despite their injuries, officers returned fire, striking and killing Justin Long at the scene. Both wounded officers were transported to UF Health Shands Hospital, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released later that same afternoon.
Chief Moya revealed to city commissioners that the initial investigation points to a deeply troubling and senseless motive. He stated there was “little to no connection” between Long and his victim, Rodriguez, or the business itself. “We are quickly learning that there’s the appearance of an onset of a mental health issue here and that the victim was sadly selected randomly,” Moya explained.
The incident triggered a massive law enforcement response, leading to the closure of East University Avenue for several hours as multiple agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, processed the large and complex crime scene. Community leaders, including Mayor Harvey Ward, were quick to label the event a tragic anomaly, noting that overall gun violence in Gainesville had seen a drastic decrease in recent years.
