Florida man shot dead at boxing match promoting fight against gun violence, police say

Two groups attending a “Stop the Violence” boxing match in a Florida parking lot got into a fight with each other and a person ended up dead, police said.

Just after 8 p.m. Oct. 30, officers responded to reports of a shooting behind the Skyway Plaza Shopping Center in St. Petersbur, Florida.

On the scene, police discovered a makeshift outdoor boxing ring and three men and two women shot, including 21-year-old Trevon Montrell Barton, who passed away from his injuries at a local hospital.

According to St. Petersburg Police Department Spokesperson Yolanda Fernandez, the deadly incident occured in an area that's surrounded by a high concrete wall that makes it difficult to see anything from the street. “It is a full-blown boxing ring with chairs set up and a couple of hundred people attending this boxing match.”

On Oct. 31, police arrested Robert Lee Cooley, 21, and alleged he got into a fight at the match with other spectators and that led to the shooting, WTVT reported.

Cooley faces charges of carrying a concealed firearm and discharging a firearm in public.

A Neighborhood Boxing League member identified as Pielay participated in the event shortly before the shooting.

"I'm thinking, 'Why is stuff like this going on at an event that says Gloves up, Guns down?'" he told Bay News 9 of learning about the fatality after he left the event.

The Neighborhood Boxing League said in a statement, "We do not promote gun violence in any shape or form and want to acknowledge that the shooting that took Saturday night was not a result of the event."