Wayland High School graduate Marvin Anthony Miller Jr. was murdered Thursday in Gainesville, Fla., and local authorities have arrested the suspected gunman after a high-speed chase.
Miller’s girlfriend confirmed the suspect, James Tate, 28, and Miller were contractors working on a recently sold rental home in the Suburban Heights neighborhood.
Police were summoned to 4720 Northwest 16th Place , where they discovered Miller’s body with apparent gunshot wounds. They later located a silver Chevrolet work pickup nearby and attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
The Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Columba County Sheriff’s Office pursued Tate’s truck on I-75 before he crashed in Columbia County.
TV20 in Gainesville reported that both Miller and Tate were staying at the home while renovating it. Tate, was employed as a contractor, allegedly chased another contractor out of the home, shot in their direction striking the garage door of a home across the street.
Residents in the neighborhood say they were shocked that this kind of incident took place in what they say is an otherwise quiet area.
After being apprehended, Tate was booked into the Columbia County Jail on the charge of fleeing and eluding. Bond was set at $5 million. He will be extradited to Alachua County to face charges of murdering Miller.
