Dog park shooting: Tampa man accused of hate crime will remain behind bars until trial
TAMPA, Fla. - Gerald Radford, the man accused of targeting and gunning down a man because he was gay, moved slowly as he was escorted in and out of a Tampa courtroom on Monday.
He appeared fragile, far from the man accused of killing John Walter Lay.
"Mr. Radford approached him and told him ‘You’re going to die, you’re going to die,’ and then 24 hours later Mr. Radford, in fact, shoots and kills our victim," argued Prosecutor Ron Gale.
At a bond hearing Monday morning, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Detective Robert Harrop took the stand.
Pictured: John Walter Lay
He explained to the court that the two men had several run-ins at West Dog Park in Tampa. He said Radford would often harass Lay, yell homophobic slurs and threaten him.
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"The defendant would make derogatory remarks to the decedent regarding his sexual orientation," explained Harrop.
Lay even made a cell phone video describing the threat a day before the deadly confrontation. The video clip was played for the court.
Prosecutors said the very next day, Feb. 2, Radford followed through on this threat and shot and killed Lay during an altercation at the park.
However, Radford claims the shooting was in self-defense. He told detectives Lay attacked him first, that he was the aggressor that day.
West Dog Park in Tampa
"He says they were going back and forth to each other, and then he was struck with something that was in the decedent’s hand. He fell to the ground and the scuffle ensued and ultimately during the scuffle he was able to retrieve his firearm and shoot the decedent one time," he recalled.
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In fact, defense attorney Marie Taylor referenced pictures of Radford with cuts and bruises on his face that were taken after the shooting. Taylor also shared with the court that immediately after the shooting, Radford called 911 and fully cooperated with the police investigation.
During her argument for bond, Taylor pointed to the lack of evidence and blamed the accusations on media surrounding the case.
"The states case is built on media influence based on the subject," she argued.
Despite that, Tampa Judge Caroline Arkin felt Radford was a danger to the community and denied him bond. He’s charged with second-degree murder and will remain in jail until his trial.
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