Prosecutors present evidence against two men charged in Mobile, Prichard shooting

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Prosecutors laid out their case Tuesday against two men accused of going on a shooting spree in July – shootings that police say were motivated by a combination of gang violence and a drug dispute.

Two people suffered gunshot wounds in three shootings on July 31, long before the sun rose. Law enforcement officials allege that a fourth shooting, in retaliation for the first three, resulted in the death of the grandmother of one of the defendants.

Mobile County District Judge Spiro Cheriogotis concluded that prosecutors have enough evidence to file a number of charges, including two counts each of first-degree assault, against Tyrone Tyrese Davis, 19, and Ashton Tremichael Johnson-Whitfield (18), both from Mobile

The first shooting occurred around 3:40 a.m. in the 1900 block of Allison Street in Mobile. Michael Ellzey, a detective with the Mobile Police Department, testified at a preliminary hearing that the victim came home drunk and tried to knock on the door when his grandmother locked him out. This prompted another member of the household to confront him. This man named Johnson-Whitfield, who police identified as a member of a local gang.

Ellzey testified that police found .223-caliber shell casings matching a gun used that same morning at two shootings in Prichard – homes on Clara Avenue and Mt. Sinai Avenue. Ellzey testified that a resident of the Mt. Sinai Avenue home told investigators that Davis had conned him in a drug deal the weekend before.

The latest shooting, at a home on Sample Street in Prichard, killed 67-year-old Ethel Moore Thomas, Davis’ grandmother. Police said she was sleeping in her bedroom. Johnson-Whitfield and Davis are not charged in that shooting; Prosecutors allege it was retaliation for the other three shootings. So far, police have not made any arrest in this case.

Lt. Robert Martin, a Prichard police investigator, testified that there is surveillance video from a church near one of the homes that shows a dark-colored car matching that of Davis’ sister. He said two muzzle flashes could be seen from the vehicle. But he testified that it was too dark to identify anyone inside.

Much of the evidence against the defendants comes from a statement Davis gave to police. Ellzey testified that Davis admitted that he was driving the vehicle and that Johnson-Whitfield and two people he did not know were passengers.

But Davis’ attorney, Stewart Hanley, cautioned against giving too much weight to the way police officers characterized his client’s statements.

“I would say it sounded to me like the evidence came from what he supposedly told them,” he told FOX10 News. “I mean, I think we’ve seen from the past that alleged confessions, particularly when they come to us through third parties, are often questionable at best. It is often misinterpreted. Facts are overruled.”

The evidence against Whitfield-Johnson focuses on statements made by Davis and text messages he and Davis exchanged. A text message from Davis to Johnson-Whitfield said, “Come before 4:30 p.m.”

Defense attorney Tom Walsh said the evidence against his client was flimsy.

“There are a lot of moving parts here,” he said outside the courtroom. “I mean, as you know, my client didn’t make a statement. There are no videos or anything like that linking him to these shootings. And so he protests his innocence. …I mean, the text messages are basically gibberish. And we don’t know exactly what the co-defendant said. So at this point things are still in limbo.”

The judge refused to reduce bail.

“The number of shootings in the community is out of control,” he said, adding that it “fits my fancy” that so many appear to be the result of low-level drug deals.

“The number of young men dying prematurely because of Instagram threats and various affiliations… I don’t understand it,” he said. “I will never do that.”

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