On the afternoon of Jan. 3, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to a disturbance in Floral City which had already occurred during the early morning hours.
The two victims described the altercation between themselves and a male named Christian, who was residing on a neighboring property.
During the altercation, victim one alleged the suspect had fired a shotgun at least four times, in their direction. Victim-two said the suspect pointed the shotgun in their direction and pulled the trigger, but the gun failed to go off.
The suspect, 49-year-old Christian Gard of Dade City, who was identified by investigators, even brandished a second firearm at the end of the confrontation. Neither victim sustained injuries during this incident.
Gard, a two-time convicted felon, had already left the area prior to any CCSO personnel arriving. Detective Slingerland with the Major Crimes Unit began his investigation. After evaluating the victim’s statements and the evidence found at the scene, Detective Slingerland was able to obtain a warrant for Gard’s arrest.
Members of the CCSO Tactical Impact Unit (TIU) and the United States Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force immediately began the intensive process of locating Gard.
“As a convicted felon, Gard should never have had the firearms he used to commit this violent crime. Gard demonstrated his lack of respect for our laws and the lives of his victims,” said Sheriff Mike Prendergast. “The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office used every resource available to locate Gard and make sure he was safely taken into custody. Detective Slingerland’s dedicated work on this case has helped to make Citrus County a safer community for our citizens.”
On January 19th, 2021, members of the Fugitive Task Force made contact with Gard at a residence in Hernando County, where he was taken into custody reference the Citrus County warrant.
Gard is being held at the Hernando County Jail in reference to two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon with a bond of $55,000.00 per the warrant.