Tampa man charged in deadly dog park shooting fought with victim over sexual orientation: HCSO
TAMPA, Fla. - What became a strained relationship between two men turned into a deadly shooting at a dog park more than a month ago, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
A Tampa man, identified as 65-year-old Gerald Declan Radford, is accused of shooting and killing another man, identified by deputies as 52-year-old John Walter Lay.
Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez said her office reviewed the evidence presented this week by HCSO and decided to charge Radford with second-degree murder and a hate crime enhancement.
Courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
"This is absolutely senseless," Lopez told FOX 13. "He deserved to be able to go and enjoy that dog park in peace, just like every citizen of Hillsborough County deserves that. We're absolutely heartbroken, and we're even more heartbroken because of the fact that this crime appears to have really resulted because of the hatred that this defendant had for this victim and very specifically because of the fact that the victim was gay."
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Lopez, speaking exclusively with FOX 13 about the case, added, "Mr. Radford was the aggressor in this situation and there had been a bad beef going on for a long time."
Pictured: John Walter Lay, who was shot and killed at West Dog Park in Tampa.
HCSO Colonel Frank Losat explained during a news conference Friday that the situation began on the morning of February 2 at the West Dog Park in the Egypt Lake-Leto area. He said deputies responded to the scene and found Lay shot.
First responders tried performing life-saving measures on him, but Lay died at a local hospital, according to HCSO.
Investigators said they first came in contact with Radford after he called 911 about the shooting.
According to a court document, Radford told investigators that he had a hit of "weed" before the shooting, but he wasn't "stoned". He went on to tell investigators that he has never been diagnosed with any mental health issues and does not currently take any medication.
The document also states that investigators saw cuts on Radford's nose, a contusion under his right eye, a cut above his left eyebrow and blood on his face near the cuts when they spoke to him following the shooting.
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He claimed he shot Lay in self-defense, and with no witnesses to the crime or evidence to prove otherwise, Radford wasn't arrested.
However, detectives continued investigating the shooting, searching for video connected to the incident and speaking with those familiar with the two men involved, HCSO said.
Detectives interviewed character witnesses who told them that the two were friends who met, because they came to the dog park routinely. Investigators said they learned the relationship between Radford and Lay became strained after they got into an altercation over the sexual orientation of Lay, who was gay. After learning that, authorities also found a video on Lay's phone.
The video was taken like a selfie of the victim as he detailed a threat that was made to him by Radford, according to deputies. Lay claimed in the video that Radford told him, "You're going to die."
Authorities with the sheriff's office took their case to the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office to reveal the findings of their investigation and discuss potential charges against Radford.
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Prosecutors approved the charge of second-degree murder with an enhancement for a hate crime, according to investigators. The hate crime enhancement isn't another charge against Radford, but it could impact him if he's convicted of the crime. Lopez said her office is now preparing for Radford to attempt to use the "Stand Your Ground" defense.
On March 7, court documents reveal that investigators interviewed Radford again and showed him the video from the dog park. Radford claimed he didn't remember being at the park on the day before the shooting, but noted that he went to the park nearly every day.
He went on to state, according to the documents, that he never told Lay, "You're gonna die, you're gonna die." Instead, Radford told Lay, "Try and die," or something to that effect, according to the document.
The documents show that Radford told investigators that he had been attending therapy and realized that Lay had both of his hands on Radford's gun during their physical struggle and he believed Lay was going to shoot him.
Radford makes first appearance.
Lay's sister, Sabrena Hughes, told FOX 13 that the shooting followed two years of harassment and homophobic slurs directed at her brother by Radford. She said she was stunned to learn her brother was accused of attacking anyone and skeptical when she heard Radford's story.
"That that truth is actually out there now, is a relief for us, because we just knew that was not...my brother's personality," Hughes said, adding she's glad Radford is now behind bars. "There is no sentence that's gonna restore my brother's life. But if this person has that type of hatred and can act out on it, keeping him in jail will hopefully save someone else's life."
Radford was booked into the Orient Road Jail on Friday. Previous attempts by FOX 13 to contact Radford went unanswered.
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