CENTURY, Fla. — A 16-year-old wanted on a first-degree murder charge in the Aug. 13 shooting at Showalter Park surrendered to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office on Friday night and is now in custody.
Keyunta Ewing, known locally as “Baby K,” had been the subject of an active arrest warrant announced earlier Friday by Sheriff Chip Simmons. Investigators identified him as the person who fired the fatal shots. Additional details surrounding the surrender were not immediately available.
What happened at Showalter Park
The shooting occurred about 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, at Showalter Park off Hecker Road. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office received a shots-fired call and arrived to find an adult male with gunshot wounds in a parking area between a ball field and a children’s playground. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second adult male victim later arrived at Jay Hospital with a through-and-through gunshot wound to the leg that was not believed to be life-threatening, according to Sgt. Melony Peterson.
Family members identified the man killed as Adarius Da’Shun Odom, known locally as “Daily.” Da’Quan “Money” Johnson was the victim shot in the leg. Both were members of the 2018 state championship Flomaton High School Hurricanes football team and are now in their twenties.
A fight that turned deadly
Simmons said seven to eight people, some from Alabama and some from Florida, had gathered at the park to fight over a girl. He described a scene in which two people fought while others stood watching. Someone then left the crowd, returned with a gun and fired several rounds into the group.
“Seven or eight people had gathered around for a fist fight, and after that fight someone left from the crowd and they pulled a gun and just fired several times into our victim, ultimately killing him and injuring another,” Simmons said.
Youth practices were underway nearby
No organized activities were taking place at Showalter Park at the time. But youth football and cheerleading practices were underway a short distance away at neighboring Anthony Pleasant Park, where many people reported hearing multiple gunshots. Practices were halted and families left out of an abundance of caution, according to Century Blackcats Youth Football and Cheerleading. A small wooded area separates the two parks, which are connected by a trail and footbridge.
“It’s certainly tragic that an individual would be killed, and it’s certainly concerning the individual that is involved felt the need to take this type of action and not have any concern about the safety of the other individual that was shot in the leg or anyone that might be nearby,” Simmons said. “We as a community should say that’s unacceptable.”
A second shooting the same night
A second shots-fired incident occurred around 8 p.m. on Mayo Street, a few blocks from the park. Numerous bullet holes were found in a home.
“We believe that the individual that did the shooting has a connection to that house and we feel like it was retaliatory,” Simmons said at the time. “We believe that people know who did it. People know who the shooter is, who the killer is, and we want them to tell us instead of taking matters into their own hands.”
Funeral services
Funeral services for Odom were held at the Flomaton High School Auditorium, following a visitation. The family requested that flowers be sent to Jackson-McMurray Funeral Services at 130 West Hecker Road in Century.
The investigation remains open. Anyone with information is asked to call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.