Inset: John Webb (Alachua County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Alachua County Jail in Florida (Google Maps).
An 81-year-old Florida man is behind bars after he allegedly opened fire at his dead ex-wife’s family over a dispute about her estate.
John Morgan Webb is facing charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault. A probable cause arrest affidavit by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office states that Webb’s ex-wife recently passed away. Her daughters and son-in-law, who are set to inherit her estate, went to her home in Micanopy, located ten miles south of Gainesville, to clean it for sale.
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Upon arriving at the home just before 1 p.m. on Thursday, they reportedly spotted Webb’s vehicle in the driveway. Webb, who divorced his ex-wife in 1998, was not supposed to be in the residence, as stated by her daughters to the authorities. One of the daughters began recording on her cell phone as they entered the home and called out Webb’s name, eventually finding him in the living room.
It was at this time that Webb allegedly pulled out a revolver and fired one shot into the ceiling. The victims began to run out of the home.
“No don’t move you got to die first,” Webb allegedly said.
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The victims hopped in their car and hit reverse.
Webb allegedly pursued them and shot multiple rounds at their car, hitting it several times. Fortunately, no one in the vehicle was injured, although the bullets did damage the engine and render the car inoperable, according to the affidavit.
The suspect allegedly drove away, with cops later tracking him down and taking him into custody.
Post Miranda, Webb allegedly said his ex-wife’s family “harassed” him.
“They come in threatening me and I fired a shot in the air, then fired some into the radiator of their car, period,” he told cops, per the affidavit.
Deputies concluded Webb brandished a firearm while engaged in a “non-confrontational and non-hostile encounter” and fired a shot into the air which placed the victims into a “well founded fear” that their lives were in danger. Then he moved inside and shot at the car which could have killed the people inside, cops wrote. The act was “imminently dangerous” to the victims and “demonstrated a depraved mind without regard to human life,” according to police.
Alachua County Sheriff Cpt. Chris Sims told local ABC affiliate WCJB it is fortunate the victims escaped the ordeal unscathed.
Webb remains at the Alachua County Jail without bond.
