De'Quan Davis, a 16-year-old African American male, was tragically killed on September 7, 2019, in Tallahassee, Florida. The incident occurred outside the Regal Governor's Square movie theater, where De'Quan had gone to watch the horror movie "It Chapter Two." After the movie ended, De'Quan and another 16-year-old, Goidia Porter, who were both members of rival gangs, encountered each other in the parking lot.
The confrontation quickly escalated into an argument, during which Porter pulled out a handgun and shot De'Quan in the foot and chest. De'Quan, who was a student at Rickards High School and dreamed of playing football for Florida A&M University, died at the scene.
The murder of De'Quan Davis was part of a larger pattern of gang-related violence in Tallahassee. The shooting sparked a wave of retaliatory gun violence in the city, leading to increased efforts by local, state, and federal law enforcement to crack down on gang activity. The Leon County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Attorney's office led these efforts, aiming to remove guns and known criminals from the streets.
Goidia Porter was arrested shortly after the incident. Witness descriptions and identification, along with a search warrant executed at Porter's home, led to the discovery of the clothes he wore during the shooting and the firearm used in the crime. Porter was charged with second-degree murder and carrying a concealed firearm. During his trial, which lasted two days and featured 15 witnesses, Porter claimed self-defense. However, his testimony was impeached through prior statements and inconsistencies with physical evidence and other witness accounts.
In May 2022, a Leon County jury found Goidia Porter guilty of the murder of De'Quan Davis. Porter, who was 18 at the time of his sentencing, received a 45-year prison sentence, with a 25-year minimum mandatory sentence for the murder charge and an additional 20 years for carrying a concealed firearm, to be served concurrently. The case highlighted the ongoing issue of gang violence in Tallahassee and the devastating impact it has on the community, particularly on young lives like that of De'Quan Davis.
