Shootings occur at Ginnie Springs over weekend, brothers arrested

Sheriff Bobby Schultz announced that two brothers had been arrested after two separate shootings occurred at Ginnie Springs over the weekend.

Fisher Watts, 18, of Saint Mary, Georgia, was arrested for first degree murder, while his brother, Dallas Watts, was arrested for carrying a firearm as a convicted felon.

Fisher Watts is charged with killing 34-year-old Koty Stewart, of Jacksonville. He was arrested in Camden, Georgia. His brother was arrested in Gilchrist County.

The other shooting, which wounded four people, is still under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Schultz said Ginnie Springs held over 20,000 people last weekend. Gilchrist County’s normal population is around 19,000.

Undersheriff Robert Willis said this situation would have drowned most similarly sized agencies.

The murder occurred after a dispute over a parking place, but there was no other connection between Watts and Stewart.

Both Watts brothers have a criminal history in Georgia.

Willis said capacity limits are outside the purview of the Sheriff’s Office, but they will talk to the Board of County Commissioners about the number of people at Ginnie.

Schultz said GCSO does take a proactive stance, adding that deputies made 98 traffic stops in the area over the weekend.

“We do the best that we can with what we have,” Schultz said.


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