[UPDATE] Tallahassee, Florida - March 26, 2012 -4:56pm -

It's been nearly three years to the day since an innocent bystander was killed in a deadly gang shootout at a Tallahassee Circle-K.
Monday (3-26-12) as one of the men arrested for it was sentenced.

Dressed in a blue jump suit, 24-year-old Tashawnbie Gay stood before a judge, awaiting his fate. Gay is one of five man arrested in connection with the deadly Circle K shootout the left Curtis Brown dead. Last month, a jury found Gay guilty on all but one of the five counts he faced. Monday, he was sentenced.

"The jury in the case made a finding that the defendant possessed and discharged a firearm which pursuant to the statute means the defendant was looking at 20 years in the department of corrections," says John Hutchins of the prosecution.

Judge Mark Walker sentenced Gay to 20 years for attempted murder. Gay was also given five years for aggravated assault and another 5 years for possession of a firearm. Those will be served at the same time. Gay was credited with time served on fifth count of discharging a weapon.

Gay is the fourth defendant that attorney John Hutchins has prosecuted in the last three years for the shootout.

"It's been a long process. I mean this happened back in March of 2009 and we still have another defendant that's out there," says Hutchins.

That defendant is Ion Cloud. He's the one accused of firing the shot that killed Brown. His trial is set to begin in September.

Gay's attorney declined to comment. He will have 30 days to file an appeal. His request for a new trial was denied.
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[UPDATE] Tallahassee, Florida - March 26, 2012 -2pm -

A judge denies a motion for a new trial for Tashawnbie Gay. Gay was found guilty of attempted second degree murder, aggravated assault, carrying a concealed firearm and discharging a firearm in public in a shootout at the Circle K on Lake Bradford Road back in March 2009.

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UPDATED 2.24.2012 9:15am by Julie Montanaro

An all male jury deliberated late into the wee hours of the morning before returning four guilty verdicts against Tashawnbie "Breyon" Gay.

Court records show Gay was found not guilty of the most serious charge of felony murder.

Gay was found guilty of attempted second degree murder, aggravated assault, carrying a concealed firearm and discharging a firearm in public.

The verdicts were returned at 1:30am Friday after seven hours of deliberation.

Gay will be sentenced March 2, 2012 at 9am. Prosecutor John Hutchins says Gay faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.

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UPDATED 2.23.2012 7:15pm by Julie Montanaro

The jury started deliberating at 6:30 this evening in the trial of Tashawnbie "Breyon" Gay.

Gay is accused of murder in the death of innocent bystander Curtis Brown and attempted murder for firing on two rival gang members in a shootout at the Circle K on Lake Bradford Road back in March 2009.

Gay took the stand this afternoon. So did Earl Jackson and Darvaughnta Vaughn who are already serving prison sentences for their roles in the shootout.
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UPDATED 2.22.2012 6:30pm by Julie Montanaro

A shocking gang shootout is playing out in court. One of the accused triggermen is standing trial.

Tashawnbie "Breyon" Gay is accused of killing an innocent bystander and trying to kill two rival gang members that night in March 2009.

The tension was palpable today when one of those men took the stand.

Christopher Harvey may have started it all. He told the jury he went up to Tashawnbie "Breyon" Gay in the Circle K parking lot and challenged him to a fist fight. That's when he said Gay lifted his shirt and showed him his gun.

"It looked like an automatic," he said.

Shots rang out as soon as Harvey turned to run. A bullet went clear through his sleeve, but he admitted he never actually saw Gay pull the trigger.

"Did you see him fire the gun?" the defense attorney asked on cross examination.

"No. I say I seen him with a gun and when I turned I head shots from a gun," Harvey said.

Witnesses say there was a volley of gunfire. Prosecutors say 32 bullets from as many as eight different guns were fired that night.

One of the bullets hit 26 year old Curtis Brown. He was shot right above the eye as he stood talking to his own sisters.

"When the shooting stopped I opened my door to see was he alright, but he was lying down," Choicey Brown recalled, "but when I stood over him he had a hole in his head and blood was coming from the back of his head and out his nose."

Gay's attorney claims Gay didn't fire first and pulled his gun in self defense. Gay wound up getting shot too, right in the buttocks. His girlfriend at the time testified Gay knocked on her door soon afterward.

"What did he say?" the prosecutor asked.

"Um. Hump, who is Curtis Brown, has been shot," Deaudra Bell said.

Bell said when Gay turned on the light she could see he too had been shot. She says Gay was bleeding so she got up and drove him to the hospital.

Testimony is expected to continue tomorrow. 2-23 and could go to the jury tomorrow or Friday.

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Feb 22, 2012 - Noon - by Julie Montanaro

This shootout stunned Tallahassee back in 2009. It was northside versus westside and Curtis Brown got caught in the crossfire.

Tashawnbie Breyon Gay is one of five men arrested in the shootout.

He is now on trial for Brown's murder and for trying to kill two rival gang members Earl Jackson and Chris Harvey.

Harvey is on the stand right now. He picked Gay out of a photo line up at that time and pointed him out again in court today.

Tension between him and Gay's attorney is high and Gay followed him with his eyes all the way up the witness stand.

Harvey says he went to pick a fist fight with Gay but turned and ran when he realized Gay had a gun. A bullet went clear through his sleeve, but did not hit him.

Harvey admitted he did not actually see Gay fire the gun.

Two other men are already serving prison time for the shootout and the man suspected of firing the shot that killed Curtis Brown has yet to stand trial.

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Feb 22, 2012 10:30am by Julie Montanaro

Curtis Brown's sisters were sitting in a car in the parking lot that night. Brown was leaning over the window talking with them when the gunfire started.

Choicey Brown says there was an initial blast of gunfire, a pause, then more shots. She says she didn't see who was firing because she ducked. When she got out of the car, she saw her brother lying on the around with a hole in his head and blood coming out of his nose.

Curtissa Butts says she didn't see any faces but she did see a man in a white t-shirt firing a gun.

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Feb 22, 2012 10am by Julie Montanaro

Attorneys are now making opening statements to the jury which is made up of 6 men and one woman. The woman appears to be the alternate.

Prosecutor John Hutchins says Tashawnbie Gay and a man named Chris Harvey had a previous disagreement and on the night of March 29, 2009 Harvey challenged Gay to a fist fight in the Circle K parking lot.

Prosecutors contend Gay lifted his shirt to reveal a gun in his waistband. Harvey and his friend Earl Jackson started to back away, but that's when the shooting started. Prosecutors say Gay was shooting in their direction.

Prosecutors say there were at least 32 bullets fired that night from eight different guns.

Gay's attorney Greg Cummings says his defense is self defense. He claims Gay did not fire the first shot but feared for his life and pulled out his gun afterward. Cummings says Gay then turned and ran and was shot in the buttocks as he retreated.
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February 22, 2012 by Julie Montanaro

Tashawnbie Gay is now on trial for the 2009 murder of Curtis Brown. Brown was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout at the Circle K on Lake Bradford Road.

Gay was one of five men arrested in the shootout.

Attorneys are now arguing over whether anyone can testify about gangs at all. Prosecutors contend Gay's affiliation with the northside gang - including a spade tattoo - is relevant. Defense attorneys say no one can prove Gay is a gang member.

Opening arguments are slated to begin momentarily.

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July 29, 2010 -

A deadly gang shootout in Tallahassee may be the biggest test yet of Florida's stand your ground law.

Tashawnbie Gay is the second suspect to claim self defense in a gang shootout at the Circle K on Lake Bradford Road last March.

Gay's attorney filed the motion with the circuit clerk today claiming Gay was fired upon first and by law is entitled to meet force with force.

Gay is one of five men accused in the murder of Curtis Brown.

Co-defendant Darvaughnta Vaughn filed a similar stand your ground claim last week.

A hearing date has not been set for either of those claims.