Gossett

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UNION — The third of four men charged with murder in the shooting death of Union teen will remain in jail after his request for bond was denied Tuesday.

Danny Ray Gossett, 21, 208 Leroy Gossett Road, Union; Chadrick Harold Johnson, 23, 851 Cambridge St., Carlisle; Devonta Elemeshion Mobley, 20, 124 Lawrence St., Carlisle; and Daveus Lamonte Boler, 18, 4879 English Ave., Carlisle, are each charged by the Union County Sheriff’s Office with murder, attempted murder, malicious injury and discharging a firearm into a dwelling.

The four are charged in the shooting death of 17-year-old Dequan Tyrone Jones. Jones and a second man, 20, were shot in Lukesville Road area of Buffalo around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 12. The two were transported by private vehicles to the emergency room at Wallace Thomson Hospital where Jones died a short time later. The second victim’s wounds were not life threatening and he was later released from the hospital.

All four were arrested by end of August and all were denied bond by a Union County Magistrate. Since they are charged with murder, the four were also entitled to a bond hearing before a Circuit Court judge.

Hearings for Johnson and Mobley were held Sept. 10 and Judge Frank Addy Jr. of Greenwood denied their requests for bond, citing the need for more information about the incident and the danger their released could pose to themselves and the community.

Gossett’s hearing was held Tuesday before Addy who, as he did in the case of Johnson and Mobley, denied the request for bond.

Before he did so, however, Addy heard from Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett and Deputy Solicitor John W. Anthony.

Anthony said Johnson, who’d been identified as the driver of the car from which the shots were fired at Jones and the other victim, had admitted to driving the car and had identified Gossett as one of three passengers in the vehicle. He said Boler had told deputies that Gossett had put on a mask and had been one of those shooting from the car. He said Mobley told deputies that Gossett had a gun but could not say whether he’d been one of those doing the shooting.

Brackett said the actions of the four showed a wanton and reckless disregard for the people living in the neighborhood where the shooting took place. He said the shooting grew out of a rivalry between groups in Union and Carlisle and that law enforcement was very concerned about this rivalry and the potential for further violence. Brackett said it was in nobody’s interest to have Gossett and the others back out on the street. He said they should remain in jail for their safety and the safety of the community.

Anthony also presented Addy with Gossett’s criminal record which included assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and disorderly conduct. However, he also pointed out that Gossett had provided information that enabled investigators to recover two guns used in the shooting.

Gossett was represented by attorney Fletcher Smith who first expressed sorrow at Jones’ death and the loss his family had suffered.

Smith then pointed out that on both federal and state constitutional standards allows a person charged with a crime to have bond set. He said that Gossett was not a flight risk, pointing out that he lives with his parents and has strong ties to the community. Smith said he believed Addy could fashion a bond that would release Gossett from jail but have him under house arrest with a monitoring device strapped to his leg. He said the bond would also require that Gossett have no contact with the surviving victim and the families of the victims.

In addition, Smith asked about the status of the ballistics and DNA tests on the evidence recovered by investigators. Addy asked Anthony if the results of those tests had come back and was told no. He also asked Gossett and the other suspects had been tested for gunshot residue and was told by Anthony that such testing was not an option because the four had not been arrested at the scene.

Before making his ruling, Addy first consulted his records of the Johnson and Mobley’s bond hearings and the arguments offered by the state and the defense at that time. After doing so, Addy denied Gossett’s request but said he could again request bond once the testing of the evidence is completed.