Opinion ID: 2827456
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Drive-by Shooting at the Carwash

Text: On August 28, 2013, the first group of men—consisting of Randy Godwin, Randy’s cousin “Pookie,” Cortaze Tisdel, and an individual identified only as “Smoke”—were hanging out together at a local carwash, washing the cars they had purchased with the proceeds of their heist. Defendant and the second group of men allegedly took their revenge by committing a drive-by shooting at the carwash on that day. Pookie was killed. Tisdel was shot in his rear, but he survived. Godwin testified at trial, that just prior to the shooting, he left the carwash and walked to a nearby store around the corner in order to converse with a girl whom he recognized. While he was chatting in front of the store, he noticed Defendant in the back of a red car that was slowly driving down the street. The vehicle continued past him and turned the corner at the end of the No. 14-6344 United States v. Gibbs Page 3 block. Shortly after the car made its turn towards the carwash, Godwin heard a barrage of gunfire. He testified that he ran toward the carwash, and when he peeked around the corner, he could clearly see Defendant leaning out of the back window of the vehicle firing a large assault rifle at Godwin’s friends. Tisdel testified to substantially the same facts, but from his perspective as an actual target and victim of Defendant’s gunfire. Because Godwin and Tisdale were afraid, neither initially spoke to the police following the shooting. News of the shooting quickly spread throughout Defendant’s neighborhood. Keith Howell, one of Defendant’s close friends, contacted Defendant to confirm whether the story he had heard was true—principally, whether Defendant had participated in a drive-by shooting at the carwash earlier that same day. Defendant, according to Howell, confirmed the rumors but noted that he and his accomplices had not left behind any evidence.