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...
