Florida Man ‘Executed’ Grandfather In Front Of Grandson Due To Road Rage

Kentavious Gholston’s mugshot.Photo byHillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

While it can be irritating, getting honked at while driving is not an excuse to repeatedly brake check someone, and it is not justifiable to shoot someone in the back while he is already defenselessly on the ground. However, this series of events happened between 26-year-old Kentavious Gholston and 61-year-old Steven Powers on October 27.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Sunday, October 27 shortly before 2:15 p.m., the time when 911 received a report of a shooting off of Bloomingdale Avenue and U.S. Highway 301.

In a press conference recorded by FOX 13 Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said his investigation has revealed that Powers was in a white work van with his adult grandson when they noticed a black Mazda driving recklessly through traffic. The driver of the Mazda, Gholston, proceeded to cut the van off.

Powers responded by honking his horn, causing Gholston to choose to brake check Powers multiple times. Sheriff Chronister then believes Gholston may have thought that Powers had “struck his car” because he put his Mazda in park directly in front of Powers’ van in the middle of the highway.

Upset, Powers got out of his vehicle and headed toward Gholston’s driver’s side door, but Gholston exited his vehicle as well. Sheriff Chronister said that the 61-year-old intended to punch Gholston, but he missed and was pushed to the ground, which the sheriff said was justified.

What was not justified is that Powers was still on his hands and knees when Gholston proceeded to draw a gun and fire several shots into Powers’ back. When Gholston realized that Powers was still alive, he fired again for a total of four shots.

At this point, having “just watched his grandfather get executed”, Powers’ grandson got out of the van, but Gholston pointed the gun at him. The grandson reportedly put his hands in the air, “scared to death”. Gholston then got back into his vehicle to flee the scene, running a red light in the process.

When Hillsborough deputies arrived, they found Powers still alive but suffering from the trauma to his upper body. He was rushed to the hospital, but his wounds proved fatal.

Sheriff Chronister asserted that this whole situation was a “senseless loss of life”, remarking how this “reckless act shows a complete disregard for human life. Violence is never the answer, and this tragedy could have been entirely avoided”.

During the investigation, deputies found a debit card at the crime scene that belonged to the suspect’s mother. The debit card, along with footage from multiple witnesses’ dash cameras, cell phones, and other cameras, was used to identify and track down the suspect.

Before deputies could apprehend him, Gholston’s attorney reached out to police, saying that Gholston would turn himself in. Once he was in custody on October 28, the sheriff described him as unremorseful but cooperative.

He revealed the location of the black Mazda involved in the incident and that he had removed the tag. When deputies located the car, they were able to determine that Powers had not, in fact, hit it with his van. In addition, Gholston admitted to dissembling the gun and throwing it into a retention pond.

Gholston was charged with second-degree murder with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm, and tampering with physical evidence. In addition, he was charged with probation violation for possessing a firearm. He was on probation for domestic violence battery by strangulation.

Gholston is actively being held in Falkenburg Road Jail with no bond set. The investigation is still ongoing. However, Sheriff Chronister said that “the evidence in this case is extremely overwhelming”.

Sheriff Chronister ended his press conference with the statement that everyone needs to “be more patient. The more people who move here, the more patient we all have to become”. He does not want another “Sunday afternoon turned into a nightmare that cost a life, leaving a family shattered by this senseless violence”.