A jury found a Mansfield man who gunned down another man inside a northwest Columbus shopping center guilty of murder three years and one day after the fatal encounter.
Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Andy Miller sentenced Tyrone Gray, 27, to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 21 years in connection. Gray was convicted of murder and inducing panic in connection with the June 12, 2022, shooting of Dontarius Sylvester inside a shoe store at the Mall at Tuttle Crossing.
Gray was also charged with aggravated murder, a charge that accused Gray of shooting Sylvester after premeditation or while committing another felony. The jury found him not guilty on that charge.
What happened in the Tuttle shooting?
Both Gray and Sylvester were from Mansfield.
Gray argued he shot Sylvester in self-defense after Sylvester swung a purse at Gray during a confrontation inside the Sole Stop shoe store.
Video from inside the store shows Gray approaching Sylvester and the two exchanging words. As Sylvester moves backwards into a corner, he swings a bag towards Gray.
The video shows Gray pull a handgun from his pocket, fire four times at Sylvester, pocket the handgun and walk out of the store.
Gray later called 911 to tell dispatchers he shot Sylvester in self-defense.
During the multi-day trial, Gray’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said Gray was fearful of what Sylvester had in his bag because Gray had been shot in the head several years earlier.
Prosecutors said Gray approached Sylvester and continued to escalate the situation instead of walking away, calling the shooting a “summary execution.”
After the shooting, Gray posted a $50,000 bond and was released. A new arrest warrant was issued after Gray was indicted and the U.S. Marshals assisted in trying to locate him.
Gray ultimately turned himself in at the Franklin County jail. Miller ordered Gray held without bond pending his trial, which took more than three years to take place.
Part of the delay was caused by Gray firing several attorneys on his case, including one just days before a scheduled trial in February.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jury convicts Ohio man for 2022 shooting inside the Mall at Tuttle Crossing
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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