Ross Allen Johnson, 23, is accused of killing an Air Force airman, Dayvon Larry, 31, in a fight outside a Florida bar.
According to a police affidavit, Johnson was seen on surveillance footage at the Coyote Ugly bar in Panama City before the altercation broke out Sunday night. A female was said to have alerted Johnson, who then jumped over the patio fence to join the fight between an unknown man and his friend.
During the brawl, Johnson allegedly punched Larry behind the left ear and then proceeded to punch the unknown man multiple times, before pushing him to the ground and hitting him more.
Officers report that Johnson claimed to have around three years of experience in advanced fighting training, as he is an amateur mixed martial artist with five wins and two losses. However, his statements on the incident were inconsistent, as he changed the story on how he punched (or pushed) Larry and how he left the bar. The police further stated that Johnson did not provide aid to the victim. He then fled the scene via Uber and was later found at a nearby hotel.
After being read his Miranda rights, Johnson claimed to have been in fear of the victim, as he was allegedly running towards the altercation. He stated that he tried to break up the fight by grabbing the unknown male in a “shoulder-neck hold” and turning him over to his group of friends. However, officers said he left out facts such as messaging a woman about the incident, writing “dude is still not moving”. One of his friends spoke to police, saying Johnson told him “Man, I hit that guy. I laid him out, and I think I killed him.”
The autopsy revealed that Larry died of blunt force trauma to the head with a softball-sized hematoma that was found behind his left ear and a three-inch fracture on his skull. In a statement to reporters, Tyndall Air Force Base expressed their condolences for the devastating loss.
Johnson is now being charged with manslaughter for the death of Larry.