After six hours of deliberation, a jury found a 19-year-old Tampa man guilty of two counts of attempted murder. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Debra Behnke will sentence him on April 24.
Khayri Rashaad McCray is facing 30 years in prison on each count. He was on trial for three counts of attempted murder.
The charges against McCray stem from a shooting two years ago at a graduation party, that left 18-year-old Devante Dallas dead. Dallas died at the scene after a bullet struck him in the chest.
The party was a celebration, but was crashed by uninvited guests.
The Shooting
On May 23, 2010, a group of teenagers and adult chaperones gathered at Winthrop Barn, 11349 Bloomingdale Blvd., in Riverview, for a high school graduation party. Police said more than 100 people attended, when fights broke out.
During one of the fights, McCray was hit in the face. Police said McCray left the party as the chaperones were ejecting the fighters and returned with a handgun. He allegedly fired several shots into the crowd.
Three people were hit after the shooting started. Two of those injured were chaperones Jeffrey Thomas, 44, and 23-year-old De Ron Richardson.
Thomas suffered a gunshot to his lower back. He was treated and released at a local hospital. Richardson received a gunshot to the upper right chest area, but survived the injury.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and began their investigation. Information obtained from witnesses identified McCray as one of the shooters. McCray had fled the scene before police arrived.
Later that day, McCray and his parents contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in reference to the shooting. After being interviewed, McCray was arrested.
McCray, who was a senior at Spoto High School, was charged with Dallas’ murder. However, that charge was dropped after ballistics reports proved that McCray’s gun was not the murder weapon.
During the trial, witnesses testified that several people, including the chaperones were shooting.
No one else has been charged with Dallas’ murder.
