A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) investigation said officers followed protocol when entering Gainesville Christian Center in late October and arresting Anthony Gainey Jr. for robbery, retail theft, resisting without violence, escape and violation of probation. 

The investigation also found that its policy about officers providing their names and badge numbers may need to be adjusted and that, separate from the arrest, one officer violated GPD’s social media protocol after the incident.  

In a March 31 interview with Mainstreet, GPD Chief Nelson Moya called the arrest an unfortunate set of circumstances, but he stood by the actions of officers and said if the same set of circumstances arise again, he would expect GPD officers to make the same choices.  

The arrest prompted backlash from church members and others, with video showing a chaotic scene as officers physically detained Gainey Jr. in the church foyer. In the video, parishioners crowded the officers and told them to leave and let them handle Gainey Jr., whose father attends the church and uncle is the pastor.  

In the GPD investigation, one officer described the scene as “pandelirium.” Another officer responding to the church heard the shouts from outside and, when he opened the door, thought the parishioners were yelling at Gainey before realizing the officers were the target. 

Anthony Gainey Sr. told Mainstreet that he was accompanying Gainey Jr. to the back of the church since he believed his son was having a mental episode. When police officers rushed down the aisle, he tried to understand what was happening and to step between the officers and his son. 

If officers had waited, Gainey Sr. Said, he would have walked his son to the officers outside the church and service could have moved forward without massive interference. 

Pastor Lenard Gainey said the officers should have respected the sanctity of the church and listened to the members who knew Gainey Jr. and his mental health history, including a law enforcement and mental health parishioner.  

Officers repeatedly told parishioners to give them space as people shouted that Gainey has mental health issues.  

After speaking with some church members outside, the officers decided to drive to Citizens Field to regroup away from the church. An officer said the hope was to de-escalate the situation.  

After the arrest, Moya and City Manager Cynthia Curry arrived at the scene to speak with the church members. Pastor Gainey called both during the arrest.  

In a press release a few days later, Curry said she was working closely with Moya as the investigation happens. She added that it is extremely upsetting to her that this happened with children and families present, but she said GPD’s top priority was the safety of the parishioners. 

Moya launched an internal affairs investigation, which he said happened with urgency since he was the complainant. That investigation ended on Nov. 19 before a supplemental report was written in response to a complaint submitted by Pastor Gainey in December. That supplemental report was closed on March 12.  

Moya said he agrees with the outcomes of the investigation and reports, even though he can understand the perspective of church leaders. He said their concerns, though, don’t outweigh the mandate given to police officers by the state of Florida. 

The arrest 

The incident started after a 911 call from a nearby Dollar General store. The employee said a man had entered the store, refused to pay for a Gatorade, candy, cigarettes and a lighter and then demanded $100, even coming around the counter to the register.  

The employee described the person as a Black man wearing a head wrap and white T-shirt with green and purple shorts.  

Just east, GPD Officer White spotted Gainey Jr., who matched the description and had a Dollar General bag in his hand. According to the report, the officer got out of the vehicle and tried to speak with Gainey Jr., asking him to step over to talk. Gainey kept walking, and White followed and kept telling him to stop.  

White grabbed his arm, but Gainey Jr. pulled away before turning around to face him “in a threatening manner” and to say, “you wanna wear one.” White pulled his taser and said if Gainey Jr. approached, he would fire. Gainey Jr. walked away before an arriving GPD vehicle blocked the sidewalk.  

The officers told Gainey Jr. to get on the ground multiple times before attempting to grab his arm. Gainey Jr. resisted and pulled away as White prepared to tase him, but the taser misfired. The other officer, Cavett, pulled his taser and hit Gainey Jr.  

The investigation said Gainey Jr. fell to the ground in a seated manner as the officers tried to detain him, but Gainey Jr. dislodged the probes and got to his feet. Officers warned him that they would tase him again, but White’s taser failed to fire again and then Gainey Jr. was out of range.  

In their vehicles, officers followed the running Gainey Jr. to Gainesville Christian Center. Nearly two minutes after Gainey Jr. was tased, Cavett entered with another arriving officer. They spotted Gainey in the center aisle with another man, Gainey Sr. 

The officers worked around Gainey Sr. to detain Gainey Jr. The investigation said Gainey Sr. began to interfere when he was told Gainey Jr. was under arrest. Gainey Sr. asked the officers to “let me control him,” but the arrest continued with both Gaineys involved.  

Approximately 34 seconds after entering the church, the officers entered the foyer area with Gainey Jr. when he began to resist again. 

“The officers attempt to pull Gainey’s hands behind his back to handcuff him but Gainey clasps his arms together in front of his body,” the investigation reads. “Several members of the church congregation crowd around the officers and Gainey as the officers attempt to get Gainey’s hands behind his back. Other officers arrive at the church and the entrance to the church is very crowded.” 

Around a minute and 40 seconds after entering the foyer, officers carry Gainey out of the church with parishioners following.  

Some officers tried to explain the situation, according to the report, and during this time, Pastor Gainey approached an officer with Moya on the phone, demanding he speak with the chief.    

People asked for names and badge numbers. The investigation said officers verbally gave their badge numbers but didn’t write them down as asked. The investigation said protocol doesn’t require writing down this information and noted this as a policy issue—not an issue with the officers.    

According to the report, parishioners said officers wouldn’t have reacted the same way at a white church, a sentiment heard in the video as well. 

The officers relocated to Citizens Field and had an ambulance meet them there, standard protocol for anyone who is tased.  

While talking to officers, Gainey Jr. claimed he owned the store, and speaking to the Dollar General employee, officers learned that Gainey made the same claims while at the store.    

“They didn’t want to listen.” — Gainey Sr. 

Gainey Sr. told Mainstreet the Sunday had followed routine.  

When he woke up Gainey Jr., his son said he wasn’t going to church. But by the time Gainey Sr. got in the vehicle to leave, Gainey Jr. joined and said he’d attend. 

Gainey Jr. suffers from schizophrenia and illusions, his father said. Normally, Gainey Jr. walks east from the church to get snacks from a local store, sometimes borrowing cash from his father.  

On Oct. 27, Gainey Jr. walked west.  

“So, I said to myself, ‘Well, maybe he going to the Dollar General.’ He may get what he wants there this particular morning,” Gainey Sr. said.  

Gainey Sr. said his son always returns during the service and sits in the back. From his seat on the front row, Gainey Sr. said he’d look to the back to check when his son would enter, but he never saw him enter on the day of the arrest—not until his son was at the front of the church.  

The worship team was up with Pastor Gainey on the stage. Gainey Sr. said he spotted his son right in front of the stage rubbing his shirt along his chest and stomach.  

“He was turning around like in circles and stuff,” Gainey Sr. recalled. “So right then I say, ‘Oh, he’s going through something, an episode or whatever.’ I got up, came up and said ‘everything, alright?’” 

Gainey Jr. muttered something low that his father couldn’t hear. Taking his son by the arm, Gainey Sr. began to walk with him to the back of the church. The foyer doors were open because of a lack of AC, and Gainey Sr. could see the clear glass doors of the church entrance.  

Around halfway or more to the back, officers opened the door and entered.  

“They didn’t come in walking,” Gainey Sr. said. “He came in charging right in the middle of service.” 

Gainey Sr. said he tried to talk to the officer, tell him this is his son and ask what happened. The refrain the Gaineys repeat: “They didn’t want to listen.”  

Pastor Gainey said he’s known to GPD, and the church had just hosted a “First Responders Appreciation” event three weeks earlier, with officers eating at the church property. He said there should have been a better approach when entering his church. 

Gainey Sr. said if his son did something wrong, then he understands GPD responding and doing their job. But he said they didn’t listen when he said that Gainey Jr. wasn’t thinking rationally. Instead, they barged into the service over a Gatorade, a lighter, cigarettes and candy. 

After the arrest, another son of Gainey Sr. went to the Dollar General and talked to the clerk. Gainey Sr. said he followed and paid for the stolen items. 

Once the arrest was finalized, Gainey Sr. and Pastor Gainey said GPD threw past history into the report to justify their actions. The arrest report for Gainey Jr. included comments on his probation and his connection “as a documented/verified “Out East” gang member,” something his father and uncle rebuked. 

“It is the unknown that we fear most.” — Chief Moya 

From the officers’ perspective, Gainey Jr. was an unknown. They didn’t have a name or motive or even fully know if he was unarmed.  

Once Gainey Jr. fled from officers and entered the church, Moya said the situation could spiral. All the unknowns start to weigh in: might he attack church members, find a weapon or escape out the back and into the city? 

Moya said policing has changed in the United States. Situations are dynamic, and police are expected to respond with action. He said the days of always setting a perimeter, waiting for the cavalry or starting talks have faded.  

Pointing to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Moya said officers waited for backup and tragedy followed.  

If Gainey had been unknown to the church and GPD had waited, Moya said a very different situation could have occurred—one where officers would be criticized for waiting outside and delaying. 

Moya also responded strongly to statements made that GPD would have responded differently at a predominantly white church or in another section of Gainesville. 

“We’re talking about now the likelihood or the potential of criminality done to innocent people,” Moya said about the situation once Gainey Jr. entered the church. “It doesn’t matter to me what color they are. My mandate, and we would do it all over again, my mandate is to protect them, and that is unequivocal.” 

Once an arrest is begun, Moya said GPD has the responsibility to follow it through. And in a dynamic situation like at the Gainesville Christian Center, he said that means controlling the unknowns. With Gainey in hand, officers secured him to prevent another escape. 

Moya said the arrest was difficult with many parishioners being family members and naturally crowding around. Once outside the church, Moya said officers did try to engage and explain. Some people listened, but others remained passionate and heated, leading to officers’ decision to leave the church and then return to reengage.  

Within a short time, Moya said a GPD lieutenant who hadn’t been involved in the arrest showed up to speak with the church members.  

A few days after the arrest, GPD and city staff met with the church. Moya had another nearly four-hour conversation with Pastor Gainey in November to tell him about the investigation’s conclusions.  

Moya said GPD was able to close the case because of the thoroughness of the body camera footage. He said it covered all angles and didn’t require the investigators to reach out to church members for formal interviews. 

“We have points of agreement; we have points of disagreement,” Moya said about Pastor Gainey. “But ultimately, I respect what he’s doing in the community. He’s done it a lot longer than I’ve been here, and I respect that. My hope is that, not only him but others that were impacted by this, can see the totality of our transparency, the totality of what the facts speak of, and can arrive at a judgment of reasonableness with the intent of moving forward in peace—not in division of the very community that we’re supposed to, and do, protect.” 

The investigations 

GPD launched an investigation into the incident along with another investigation into a Facebook post by one of the sergeants involved.  

The Facebook post stated: “I am far far far from a religious person … however … I do recognize when a room full of people need Jesus in their lives. Hypocrital heathens!!!! On a completely unrelated topic, I work with some real good cops. Amen.”   

In an interview, the sergeant admitted to making the post and erring in doing so. He said it was an inappropriate response to stressors, mostly knowing that the call and the actions of officers would be under a microscope.  

“He explained the review process of the call for service is very stressful because of the amount of scrutiny it seemed to be producing,” the investigation said.  

The sergeant was placed on a one-week suspension without pay, given written instruction and remedial training.  

Moya added that officers followed policy when verbally giving their names and badge numbers. But he said the policy needs to change to be more useful in highly charged situations.  

He said the department is looking to adapt the policy and perhaps use blank business cards where officers can have pre-written their names and badge numbers for when someone asks.  

The initial investigation into the incident concluded on Nov. 19, 2024. In between the incident and the investigation finishing, Moya again met with Pastor Gainey to update him on the investigation.  

On Dec. 12, 2024, Pastor Gainey filed a citizen complaint with GPD over the incident. A supplemental report followed. The report looked into five issues Pastor Gainey raised: lack of communication, use of force, disrespect toward church leaders and dismissal of offers to assist. 

The supplemental report dismissed the issues based on the body camera footage and noted that officers were not aware of Gainey’s history, relation with the church or its members, or the professional capacities of the members of the church.  

Moya said the entire command staff reviewed all of the body camera footage for the incident, more than eight hours of video and audio. He added that he completely respects a church’s right to assemble without interference and said GPD’s goal was never to interrupt but to protect while pursuing a suspect. 

The supplemental report included several phone calls with Pastor Gainey, and in one of the calls, the investigator noted that the pastor said his brother, Gainey Sr., had been injured in the arrest, hurting his shoulder.  

The investigator reached out to Gainey Sr. to follow up on this new claim, but Gainey Sr. said he didn’t want to do an interview without his brother and other involved parties. He said then he can state what happened and have them there to confirm—it’s not just his word. 

Moya said the process for formal interviews require a one-on-one setting. He said this prevents witnesses from combining stories or facts.  

According to the report, messages were left unreturned, and phone contact stopped in late January. The supplemental report ended on March 12, 2025, officially finishing all investigations into the incident.  

The charges 

Since the arrest, the state attorney’s office decided to charge Gainey Jr. with robbery, resisting without violence and petit theft. However, Gainey Jr. was declared unfit for trial because of mental health issues.  

He’s being held at the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center under the Department of Children and Families until a reevaluation. The next scheduled event for the case is in June.  

A March 31 report from the treatment center said it would present a comprehensive evaluation to the court once Gainey Jr. is ready for a trial or after a year. 

The internal investigation noted that GPD could have charged Gainey Sr. (“the parishioner that actively interfered”) with resisting without violence and/or battery on a law enforcement officers.  

However, Moya said the department didn’t move forward with the charge because of discretion and knowing the situation, even though the actions may have met the letter of the law.  

“We can debate the legality of it, but I get it. I get it,” Moya said of the actions of Gainey Sr.