LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Prosecutors and defense lawyers argued in court Wednesday over who fired the shots that led to the death of Trinity Gay.
They disagree on many things that happened that night. However, one thing is clear: Gay got caught in the chaos in October 2016.
Several witnesses testifying in the case were teenagers at the time.
On Wednesday, they told the jury about the moment they heard shots being fired and Gay telling them she had been hit.
The 15-year-old Gay was shot in the neck when two groups of people exchanged gunfire in the parking lot of the Cook Out restaurant. She later died of her injuries.
Prosecutors say Chazerae Taylor fired shots first. He is charged with murder and wanton endangerment. His son, D’Markeo, and two others, Lamonte Williams and D’Vonta Middlebrooks, are charged with wanton endangerment.
All four deny shooting anyone, but prosecutors say one of the shots hit Gay.
In court Wednesday, Gay’s friends told the jury they tried to keep her awake while driving to the hospital, but she did not look good.
“She was shaking really hard,” said Alexa Garner. “She was foaming at the mouth. She kept passing out and waking back up.”
Next witness is Chance Gist. He was also there when Trinity Gay was shot. He says he heard gunshots but doesn’t remember how many. He heard Trinity say she got shot.
— Karolina Buczek (@Karolina_Buczek) October 10, 2018
John Ramos was a security guard at the Waffle House near Cook Out. On Wednesday, he told the court that he saw a black man in a white shirt shoot a gun in the air. He said he saw another man shooting towards the Cook Out restaurant and when Ramos told him to drop his weapon, the man said, “They’re shooting at me.”
Prosecutors are now going over photos of the cars that were at the shooting. Bullet holes are visible in several locations.
Earlier, they showed a gun as well.
— Karolina Buczek (@Karolina_Buczek) October 10, 2018
Lexington Police Detective Tyson Carroll said that in his interview with Chazerae Taylor, Taylor said he raised his gun in the air and fired two shots to clear the crowd after he heard a pop.
So in the interview with the detective, Chazerae Taylor allegedly admits to being at Cook Out and firing shots. But he says he shot them in the air.
— Karolina Buczek (@Karolina_Buczek) October 10, 2018
Detective Timothy Upchurch also testified Wednesday. The jury listened to a recording of an interview in which Upchurch asked Middlebrooks questions about that night. In the recording, Middlebrooks told police he picked up a gun he found at the Cook Out scene. Police tell Middlebrooks that they don’t believe him.
In the recording, police ask Middlebrooks if he’s wondering if he’s going to be charged with murder. They reassured him he’s not charged with murder.
— Karolina Buczek (@Karolina_Buczek) October 10, 2018
Middlebrooks’ lawyers asked the detective about tactics used during interviews and whether or not those tactics include him lying, for example, about having certain evidence.
The detective said that they use tactics like that while talking to suspects. Middlebrooks’ lawyer said that during the police interview, Middlebrooks didn’t remember certain things, but he did remember not having a gun before arriving at Cook Out.
The detective testified that D’Markeo Taylor told Gay to go inside the Waffle House that night because he had a feeling that something was going to happen. He said that D’Markeo Taylor went to Cook Out to get a gun that was stolen from a friend.
The defense for Chazerae Taylor played surveillance video that showed the parking lot where the shooting happened. They pointed out that police did not identify all of the people seen in the video.
Lamonte Williams’ defense lawyer pressed the detective about whether a video showed Williams fire the gun at anyone. The detective insisted Williams had fired in the vicinity where people were gathered but eventually conceded with a “no” that the video did not show Williams specifically targeting a person.
