Athletics: Three arrested in probe over Tyson Gay daughter killing

Shoshana Boyd and Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay stand surrounded by family and friends during a candlelight vigil for their daughter on Oct 17, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS
Shoshana Boyd and Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay stand surrounded by family and friends during a candlelight vigil for their daughter on Oct 17, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS
Three people including a father and son have been arrested by police investigating the shooting death of the daughter of United States Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay (above), police said on Monday. PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Three people including a father and son have been arrested by police investigating the shooting death of United States Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay's daughter, police said on Monday.

Trinity Gay, 15, died in the early hours of Sunday after being caught in the crossfire of a shootout between individuals in two cars in a restaurant parking lot in Lexington, Kentucky.

Police have said they do not believe the teenager was in either of the cars involved in the shootout.

In a statement on Monday, the Lexington Police Department said three people had been arrested in the killing.

Chazerae M Taylor, 38, and his son, D'markeo C Taylor, 19, have both been charged with wanton endangerment.

Another man, 21-year-old Dvonta Middlebrooks has been charged with wanton endangerment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. According to his arrest report, Middlebrooks is accused of firing multiple shots in the incident.

A fourth individual questioned by police has not been charged.

Messages of support have flooded in to the Gay family following the shooting.

"Sending our thoughts and prayers to TysonLGay and his loved ones as they mourn the tragic and senseless loss of his daughter, Trinity," USA Track and Field tweeted.

"Condolences to Tyson Gay and his family... 15-year-old girl dies after shooting at Lexington restaurant," tweeted former Olympic sprint rival Ato Boldon from Trinidad and Tobago.

Trinity Gay was a sophomore sprint star at Lafayette High School, where her father once ran. She was a fourth-generation sprinter who placed fourth in last year's girls 100m state final.

Tyson Gay is the fastest sprinter in history not to have an Olympic medal after a career nagged by doping disqualifications.

The 2007 world 100- and 200-metre champion and four-time US 100m champion suffered a hamstring injury at the 2008 Olympic trials and did not medal at Beijing.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Gay was on the US 4x100 relay that finished second to Usain Bolt-led Jamaica but the Americans were stripped of the medal in 2014 based on a positive test by Gay in May of 2013 that he blamed on an unnamed third party.

Gay served his suspension and returned to run again two months ago at the Rio Olympics where the Americans ran third in the 4x100 relay behind Jamaica and Japan, only to be disqualified because of a faulty exchange between teammates Justin Gatlin and Mike Rodgers.

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