TALLAHASSEE, Fla.(WTXL) — The Tallahassee Police Department has arrested a man in connection to a deadly shooting in July that broke out among a crowd of more than 300 people gathered at a gas station on West Orange Avenue.
Dreshawn Drayton Davis Barber, 22, was arrested Wednesday for premeditated murder and possession of a weapon by a delinquent.
On July 25 just before 2:45 a.m., police began receiving reports about a shooting at the Marathon Gas Station at 1143 West Orange Avenue, also commonly known as the "Wondu" gas station.
Police quickly responded to the scene and were confronted with a crowd of over 300 people. Arrest documents said surveillance footage "showed the parking lot flooded with cars and people who were socializing, drinking, smoking, and dancing at the time of the homicide."
When officers attempted to get to the victim, the crowd surrounded the individual, making it difficult for officers and responding Leon County EMS personnel to assess the victim.
Eventually, the victim was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
When TPD spoke with several witnesses, they learned that the suspect, Barber, had been assaulted by the victim prior to the incident and vowed that he and the victim would have a "shootout" the next time they saw each other.
Documents said surveillance video collected from the gas station and witness testimony led officers to believe that Barber, clad in a medical face mask, pulled out a gun, approached the victim, and shot him in his chest.
Immediately, after the shooting, police said Barber left town and went to Atlanta. Investigators said Barber's social media activity in the time leading up to and after the shooting was consistent with witness accounts.
"Social media posts and messages confirmed that Dreshawn was having a dispute and was seeking to resolve it," police wrote in the report. "Social media messages further confirmed Dreshawn knew he was a suspect in the victim's homicide and he had left town because of it."
Based on the evidence, police found probable cause to charge Barber in connection with the deadly shooting.
As of Thursday, he is being held in jail without bond. Barber is scheduled to make his first appearance Thursday morning.
