A "mutual shootout" at a Tallahassee Circle K that left an innocent bystander dead started after an employee of the gas station was fired and got into a heated confrontation with the boyfriend of a store manager.
Newly released court records detail a horrifying gun battle between the employee, Detroy Barnes, 28, and the manager’s boyfriend, Darius Sparks, 29, both of Tallahassee. They were arrested Wednesday on murder charges in the death of the bystander, Trevor McCarty.
The shooting began Tuesday morning in the parking lot of the Circle K on Apalachee Parkway and spilled into the street during a vehicle chase. At one point, witnesses said Sparks fired through his windshield as he pursued Barnes down the Parkway.
What happened:One person dead, another injured in broad daylight shooting at Apalachee Parkway gas station
Arrests made:Innocent bystander caught in crossfire of Circle K fatal shooting; TPD arrests two men
Assistant State Attorney Doug Hall described the incident as a "mutual shootout" during the men's first court appearance on Thursday. Leon County Judge Nina Ashenafi Richardson ordered both held without bond in the county jail.
"The court agrees with the state's rendition of this case, which is this was a mutual shootout," she said. "And this court has extremely serious safety concerns for our community."
The Tallahassee Police Department arrived around 11 a.m. at the gas station, located across the street from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and next door to a McDonald’s and a church.
They found McCarty down on the sidewalk in front of the store with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, where he later died. Police said he was smoking a cigarette outside when the gunfire began.
A LinkedIn page for Trevor McCarty describes him as a Circle K manager in the Tallahassee area. Circle K did not immediately respond to a phone call from the Democrat.
Barnes was arrested after he showed up at TMH with his wife, who had a gunshot wound to her leg, and two handguns, which police found in a bag he was carrying. He acknowledged involvement in the Circle K shooting and agreed to an interview.
He told investigators that the day before, he had “an issue” with another employee over a container of medical marijuana that went missing at the store. The next morning, during his shift, he got into an argument with the employee’s girlfriend, who also works at the store, and was told by another manager to clock out.
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Barnes said he left the store but returned with his wife because he wasn’t sure whether he had been fired. When they arrived, he got into an argument with Sparks in the parking lot. He said Sparks pulled out a handgun and wielded it “carelessly,” prompting him to get two guns from his car.
“Barnes (said) Sparks ... raised the firearm and began to shoot in the direction of the store, Barnes and (his wife),” the arrest report says. “Barnes said at that point he began to return fire.”
He told police that Sparks fired back several times before he got into his car and began to drive away.
“Barnes said he fired at Sparks as he drove away due to the gun battle they were engaged in,” the arrest report says. “Once the vehicle began to leave, Barnes said he observed a male lying on the sidewalk in front of the Circle K.”
Gunshots near Wendy's
Barnes said he and his wife got in their car and headed west on Apalachee Parkway while Sparks turned around and and began following them.
“Barnes said he was weaving in and out of traffic and heard three gunshots and a ping sound as Sparks pursued the vehicle ... as they neared the Wendy’s near the intersection of Blair Stone Road,” the report says.
Sparks stopped following them on Blair Stone. Police and members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force found him later at Windrush Village Apartments on Victory Garden Drive, where he surrendered.
Firearms matching the caliber of cartridge casings at Circle K were found at the apartment. Sparks invoked his right to remain silent, declining to speak with officers.
However, both he and Barnes spoke out during separate court appearances. Sparks objected to the prosecutor and judge’s description of what happened.
“It wasn’t a mutual shootout,” he said, cursing and complaining.
Barnes got upset after he was mentioned as Sparks’ co-defendant.
“Your honor, how is that my co-defendant?” he asked. “That’s not my co-defendant.”
'Innocent citizens' at risk
Police reports don’t specify who shot McCarty. Witnesses told police that Sparks initiated the shooting and pursued Barnes from the parking lot.
“While both vehicles were traveling away from the scene, a witness observed Sparks shooting through the windshield of his vehicle, corroborating Barnes’ statement of his vehicle being shot as he was being pursued by Sparks,” the arrest report says.
Video evidence from the store and bystanders showed portions of the shootout, including McCarty getting shot and Sparks driving aggressively behind Barnes.
“What is noticeable from the available video is that neither Barnes nor Sparks attempts to deescalate, disengage or flee the scene prior to the shooting,” the report says. “Both Barnes and Sparks knew each other were armed and due to their status as convicted felons neither should have possessed any firearms.”
The shootout, which happened in broad daylight along a busy Tallahassee’s road, raised a new round of alarm bells for residents. Last year, a record 28 people were murdered in Leon County and Tallahassee, many in shootings.
“It is evident that these shootings are no longer just restricted to crime ridden areas,” said Brandon Ackermann, an archaeologist who drives daily on the Parkway. “With this shooting it seems that for the first time over the past few years, innocent citizens truly can be caught in the crossfire and are at risk.”
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.
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