Man Gets 7 Years for Shooting, Paralyzing LGBTQ Neighbor
Tyler Getchell pleaded guilty to attempted manslaughter after shooting Kyle McFarlane in the back during a dispute over alleged trespassing.
A Jacksonville man who shot his LGBTQ neighbor, leaving him partially paralyzed, has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
In May, Tyler Getchell, 30, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted manslaughter for shooting 24-year-old Kyle McFarlane during a dispute over alleged trespassing. He was initially charged with attempted murder.
According to the Florida Times-Union, Getchell’s attorneys requested a “downward departure,” or a less severe sentence, arguing that he had no prior felony convictions, had served five years in the U.S. Navy, expressed remorse for the shooting, and remained at the scene rather than fleeing.
Responding on Facebook to a comment questioning the length of Getchell’s sentence, McFarlane said Getchell could serve additional time if he fails to pay restitution for medical expenses stemming from the shooting.
The sentence also requires Getchell to undergo mental health follow-ups after his release and avoid contact with McFarlane or his family.
“7 years prison. 2 years community service. 3 years probation. Restitution. You will, indeed, have a long time to think about what you did. I turned to watch you be taken away. Think about that. One day perhaps, we can be on better terms,” McFarlane wrote in a July 17 Facebook post. “I don’t hate you, Tyler Getchell. I hate your behavior. Enjoy your sentence.”
The shooting occurred on November 22, 2025, in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill neighborhood.
According to a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report, McFarlane and a friend said they were collecting discarded furniture near McFarlane’s house for a bonfire when Getchell and his girlfriend, Cathy Ann McGinnis, came outside and yelled at them to leave the property.
During the ensuing argument, McGinnis walked toward McFarlane holding a belt and threatened to beat him with it. McFarlane admitted shoving McGinnis because he believed she was about to attack him. He then heard a gunshot and fell to the ground after Getchell shot him in the back, according to the police report.
McFarlane provided responding officers with a video capturing part of the altercation. The police report states that the video shows him standing on a property easement — not his neighbor’s land — before the shooting. It also shows McGinnis walking toward him with the belt and saying, “If you don’t get off my property, I’ll beat your ass with this.”
In the video, McFarlane continues arguing while walking backward. Getchell steps between him and McGinnis and repeatedly tells McFarlane to get off his property. McFarlane responds, “OK,” while continuing to walk backward. The video then ends abruptly.
The witness accompanying McFarlane said he was carrying an axe to chop the wood and discarded furniture but did not raise it or wield it in a threatening manner. He acknowledged exchanging heated words with Getchell but said he began walking away after Getchell threatened to shoot him. He then heard a gunshot.
According to the Times-Union, Getchell told detectives he was inside his house when he heard McFarlane and his friend rummaging through a neighbor’s trash. Although Getchell acknowledged that McFarlane was standing on the property easement, he told police he considered McFarlane to be trespassing and went inside to retrieve his firearm.
When he returned, Getchell claimed McGinnis was arguing with McFarlane on the sidewalk. He said he attempted to separate them, but McFarlane shoved him aside and began attacking McGinnis. Getchell claimed he saw McFarlane reach toward his waistband and, believing McFarlane had a gun, fired a single shot that struck him in the back. He then instructed McGinnis to call 911. Getchell was arrested at the scene after admitting to the shooting.
McFarlane survived but was partially paralyzed, with the bullet lodged near his L4 vertebra, according to friends and supporters who launched a GoFundMe to help cover his medical expenses. The campaign, which has raised more than $9,400, states that the bullet cannot be removed and has impaired McFarlane’s ability to walk, as well as his bowel and bladder functions. He faces a long recovery involving intensive medical care and physical therapy and may eventually regain limited motor function.
Although no hate crime charges were filed, some local LGBTQ advocates characterized the shooting as a hate crime and urged prosecutors to pursue bias enhancements against Getchell.
After Getchell’s arrest, McFarlane sought a protective injunction against McGinnis for alleged stalking. In the filing, he accused Getchell and McGinnis of conducting an escalating campaign of harassment motivated by hostility toward his LGBTQ identity.
McFarlane alleged that Getchell and McGinnis posted signs containing anti-LGBTQ slurs facing his property. One sign, captured on video by First Coast News, read, “Fuck you tr*nny f**.” He also accused the couple of repeatedly entering his property to smear dog feces on his home. On one occasion, he alleged, they placed his dogs inside a hot garage without water and continued vandalizing his property. McFarlane reported the incidents to police before the shooting.
In his request for a protection order, McFarlane said the couple’s actions made him fear for his life. According to the Times-Union, he installed one security camera and purchased several others “because of fear of his safety.”
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