Markeese DeShawn Turner, 26, of Pensacola, Florida, was fatally shot during an early-morning ambush on April 28, 2024. The attack occurred about 1:15 a.m. while Turner and two others, Michael Carstarphen and Trashawn Powers, sat inside a parked Ford Mustang convertible at an adult birthday party in West Jackson Square. Investigators say the assailants parked nearby, walked through a yard to the car and fired multiple rounds at close range.

Sheriff Chip Simmons called the incident a targeted ambush and suggested it may have been retaliation for a prior incident; one of the victims, Michael Carstarphen, had been released from state prison eight days earlier. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office seized the Mustang, cell phones and other evidence and is seeking search warrants and more video. No arrests or charges have been announced and the investigation remains active. Funeral services were scheduled at Tracy Morton Memorial Chapel and First Baptist Church of Warrington, with burial at Holy Cross Cemetery in Pensacola.

If anyone has information about the shooting or the people involved, contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office or CrimeStoppers.