PANAMA CITY — A Panama City man found dead in a car trunk would have given jurors the account of a driver fleeing a shootout in a pending murder case, authorities said Friday.
Tavish Greene, 24, was one of several witnesses to a nightclub argument in June that ended in the shooting death of 19-year-old Jshun Smith. Police discovered Greene’s body Thursday in the trunk of a white 2004 Chevy Malibu behind an abandoned home at 526 E. Eighth Court.
As community groups coalesce to promote peace in the wake of months dominated by gun-related violence, police and prosecutors are sending a warning about witness tampering.
“When you tamper with a witness of a life felony, it becomes a life felony,” said state prosecutor Bob Sombathy. “To our office, we can’t stress how seriously we take anyone messing with our witnesses, because that is an attempt, through intimidation, to derail the entire system of justice.”
Police have not released the cause of Greene’s death but said he had been in the trunk for several days. As of Friday, investigators were working the case as an “active death investigation,” police said.
Greene had been missing since Sunday when he was last seen alive at 2:30 a.m. at Big Daddy’s near the corner of 12th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Two blocks away, on June 9, he witnessed the passenger in his car get shot in the head.
“Other people saw the shooting, but he had the unique perspective of being in the vehicle and close to the victim when he was shot,” Sombathy said.
Police were called to KJ’s Nightclub, 908 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., at about 3:20 a.m. to find Smith, of Atlanta, with a gunshot wound to the head near the intersection of 10th Street and MLK Jr. Boulevard. Witnesses saw Khiry Ross, 24, and Marcus Mathis, 25, both of Panama City, in a confrontation inside the club with Smith. The argument continued to the parking lot, where gunfire broke out, police reported.
Smith, a passenger in the vehicle driven by Greene, was struck in the head and tumbled out onto the roadway as the vehicle sped away, police reported. Ross and Mathis then fled the area in another vehicle driven by Mathis, according to police reports.
Ross and Mathis were later arrested in connection to the shooting, and both men are in jail. Ross is charged with an open count of murder, felon in possession of a firearm and felon in possession of ammunition. Mathis is charged with accessory after the fact to murder.
Greene was not charged with committing any crimes in the shooting, and no evidence has turned up that Greene had a gun or fired shots, Sombathy said.
The discovery of Greene’s body derailed plans for a community rally Saturday evening, which has formed in response to the outbreak of gun violence.
“Law enforcement advised us that there was a high threat level in the community,” said Janet Lucas, organizer.
PCPD, BCSO and Bay District School officials met with community leaders of “Stop the Violence” rallies to discuss partnerships to meet a common, peaceful goal. In spite of the surge in shootings, the Stop the Violence group’s resolve has only been strengthened, Lucas said.
“Each time, the response from the community has been greater,” she said. “The community as a whole is coming together be part of this effort, because it crosses all boundaries of our communities. Nobody can do it by themselves.”
A march will proceed Saturday, beginning at the Glenwood Community Center, 722 E. Ninth Court, with an assembly and prayer at 7 a.m. The groups will march toward Tommy Oliver Stadium starting at 8 a.m.