Suspect arrested for firing gun at 2 people parked at FSCJ Southside campus

Two people having a conversation in a parked vehicle on a college campus get a big scare and a man is now in custody because of it.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says one of the people in the vehicle got shot around 9 p.m. Thursday soon after leaving the Florida State College Jacksonville building at the Deerwood Center on Old Baymeadows Road.

JSO Lieutenant Larry Kitchen tells us those people - a woman driver and a male passenger - managed to drive away and park at the nearby Winn-Dixie before calling for help.

"They noticed a white male suspect walking towards them with a very grimacing look on his face," Kitchen added.

It was as he passed the vehicle when both victims saw he was concealing a gun, according to Kitchen.

"The suspect suddenly turned around, at which time the female victim reversed the vehicle," Kitchen noted. "In so doing, the victims noticed the suspect running towards them brandishing the firearm and yelling stop."

That's when the woman put the vehicle in drive and tried to leave. The suspect - since identified as 22-year-old Maxwell L. Martin - then fired off a round. The bullet went through the back windshield and through the man's left shoulder. He's expected to recover, per Kitchen.

"The suspect was apprehended a short time later without incident," Kitchen stated.

Investigators say the victims managed to give them a description of the suspect and that he was found in the parking lot of the Auburn Glen Apartments. The arrest report shows Martin lives there and that officers found the gun at his residence after he gave consent to search.

It's unclear at this time what motivated Martin to shoot, according to Kitchen, but he did say security cameras on the campus caught the shooting and that investigators will review that tape as part of the investigation.

FSCJ President Dr. Cynthia A. Bioteau released the following statement on the shooting Friday morning.

"We are deeply concerned about the incident that occurred at our Open Campus/ Deerwood Center last evening. We take this tragic event very seriously, given we hold the safety and security of our students and employees as our number one priority. We learned of a shooting and possible suspect in the area near our campus about 8:50 p.m. when the off-duty JSO officer working for FSCJ on campus notified our security team. Our security team took immediate action to ensure the safety of our students and faculty who were still in classes on campus. Following our emergency protocol, the campus was placed on total lockdown. We will continue to work diligently with JSO throughout the investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and we stand ready to assist them in any manner we can. We want to assure you, our students, faculty, staff and the community that we are doing everything possible to protect the safety of the FSCJ community."

Martin is charged with 3 felony counts, including 2 counts of attempted murder and 1 count of shooting into a vehicle.

He's scheduled for his first appearance in court on Friday afternoon.