Trashawn Powers was 23 and one of three men killed in a targeted ambush in Pensacola’s Myrtle Grove neighborhood on April 28, 2024. Powers, Markeese Turner, 26, and Michael Carstarphen, 28, were sitting in a Ford Mustang convertible near 65th Avenue and Jackson Streets during an adult birthday party when shooters walked through a yard and a shed and fired multiple rounds at close range around 1:15 a.m. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene and the third died after being taken to a hospital.

Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons described the attack as a planned act of retaliation; investigators say the specific triggering incident remains under review. Carstarphen had been released from state prison eight days earlier, and Powers was on supervised probation. The Sheriff’s Office has activated its real-time crime center to collect security camera footage and is asking anyone who attended the party to turn over videos or other information that could identify suspects or clarify motive.

If anyone was at the birthday party or has footage or information about the shooting, please contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.