Inside Day 1 of the 'unprecedented' operation to thwart gun violence in Tallahassee

Before dawn Monday, four teams of law enforcement officials from a half-dozen agencies fanned out along the Tharpe Street corridor with one thing in mind: Clearing the city of "bad guys" whose crimes often fuel gun violence.

U.S. Marshals Deputy Commander Marty West said there were four types of offenders law enforcement hoped to target in the coming months.

Violent felony offenders, juveniles with warrants who are known to have been involved in home and auto burglaries that put stolen guns on the street, sex offenders and career criminals, who often deal in guns and illegal drugs.

More:Sheriff, U.S. Attorney launch unprecedented 'strike force' to combat Tallahassee gun violence

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“This whole operation is about curbing violent crime, the shootings, the stabbings, the assaults that are taking place on the streets of Tallahassee,” said West during the swearing in of dozens of lawmen at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. “Every house we go to, every door we knock on, that’s the potential for bad guys.”

The men, dressed in drab tactical gear and heavily armed, some with rifles, piled into marked and unmarked vehicles for what officials are calling an "unprecedented" strike force to stem a rash of gun violence that has plagued the capital city in 2019.

The first stop at two apartments off Continental Boulevard proved fruitless as task force members found no sign of the suspects for whom they had arrest warrants. Officials also came up empty handed at the third stop at The Commons apartment complex, which was the scene of a fatal shooting over the Memorial Day weekend.

The early-morning approach is a way to catch suspects as they are waking up before they leave their homes for the day. 

The effort paid off at about 8:30 a.m. Shane Gray was arrested at his home in west Tallahassee on open charges of battery and driving on a suspended license and two violation of probation charges for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a controlled substance.

The heavy law enforcement presence in residential neighborhoods drew attention from neighbors curious about the tinted-windowed vehicles and armed men loudly banging on people’s doors and windows.

Law enforcement officials regrouped about mid-morning when they’d exhausted their list of people with warrants and began targeting traffic offenders with expired licenses or out-of-date plates.

It’s a relative crapshoot. Several stops ended with motorists driving away, but there is potential for minor infractions to lead to major arrests. A large portion of the traffic operation focused on vehicles traveling on Tharpe Street and Alabama Street where gun violence and crime have been an issue lately.

LCSO Spokesman Deputy Dave Teems said the beginning of the operation, despite only a handful of arrests, made a statement to a community reeling from repeated violence. 

By about 4 p.m., seven people had been arrested in the operation, which officials say is expected to continue for the next three months.

"Even though we are focused on putting people in jail, we are also showing the community we are addressing the issue with boots on the ground in their community," he said. "Still a win."

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter