On a warm summer evening in Denver, Colorado, a dispute between acquaintances escalated into a sudden burst of gunfire that claimed the life of Gabriel Scott, a 21-year-old Black man, and wounded two others. The tragedy unfolded on June 22, 2013, leaving a family shattered and a community in shock over a senseless act of violence. Gabriel was the son of Hope McGee and Otis Scott Jr., and a brother to Joshua, Oterian, Otis III, and Darian. His life was cut short just as it was beginning, a loss his family continues to mourn.
The night of the shooting, at around 9:50 p.m., Gabriel was with his girlfriend, Mikeysha Taylor, at her apartment on Albion Street, south of City Park. According to police reports, the incident began with a phone call. Taylor had been having problems with Jennifer Martin, the sister of a man named Tayvon Martin. Tayvon allegedly got on the phone and threatened Taylor, saying, "Bitch, you're gonna get yours."
Shortly after, Gabriel’s brother, Darian Scott, called and asked them to come outside. When they did, they were met by the sight of Darian accompanied by Tayvon Martin, whom Gabriel did not know.
An argument quickly erupted. When Gabriel asked his brother who "Baby B.O." was, Tayvon Martin allegedly identified himself before pulling out a silver revolver. Without warning, he shot Gabriel in the back of the head. The violence did not stop there. Martin then turned the gun on Darian, the man who had arrived with him, shooting him in the leg. He then shot Mikeysha Taylor in the arm. As Gabriel lay gravely wounded, the shooter fled the scene, reportedly escaping in a silver or gray pickup truck that had been waiting in a nearby alley with its engine running. All three victims were rushed to a local hospital, but Gabriel Scott succumbed to his catastrophic injury. His brother and girlfriend survived.
The Denver Police Department launched an immediate and intensive investigation. With numerous witnesses present, detectives were able to quickly identify 21-year-old Tayvon Martin as the prime suspect. However, Martin had fled Colorado shortly after the shooting, managing to evade capture for months. The search for him continued into the new year. In February 2014, detectives received a crucial tip that Martin had returned to the Denver metro area. On February 3, 2014, authorities located and arrested him without incident, finally bringing the fugitive to justice.
The Denver District Attorney's Office formally charged Tayvon Martin with one count of first-degree murder for the death of Gabriel Scott and two counts of attempted first-degree murder for the shootings of Darian Scott and Mikeysha Taylor. After his arrest, the case moved through the legal system, bringing his court appearance for a formal advisement on February 12, 2014. The wheels of justice, which had seemed to stall while Martin was on the run, were now firmly in motion.
Ultimately, the case did not go to a full trial. In a significant development, Tayvon Martin reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder. In January 2015, a Denver District Court judge sentenced Tayvon Martin to 32 years in prison for the killing of Gabriel Scott. The resolution brought a measure of closure to a case that began with a threatening phone call and ended with a young man’s life being tragically and violently cut short on a summer night.
