Victim's girlfriend, daughter saw him killed

Man shot several times in broad daylight at Murray Hill gas station on Sunday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 30-year-old father of five was shot and killed Sunday afternoon at a busy gas station within sight of Interstate 10 as his girlfriend and 2-year-old daughter watched from inside their car.

Police continue to search for the gunman who fired several shots at Troy Colton as he was putting air in his car tires in the parking lot of the Sunoco gas station at the intersection of Rayford Street and McDuff Avenue about 3:45 p.m.

Colton, a Jacksonville resident, was transported to UF Health Jacksonville, but died.

"I was on my phone and I heard gunshots," said Stephanie Gary, Colton's girlfriend. "He just ran past the car and he collapsed. He was a fighter. He lasted long, he ran a long way for him to get shot multiple times. He was a fighter."

The couple's 2-year-old daughter was in the back seat of the car.

Gary said she didn't get a glimpse of the shooter. Police hope surveillance video can lead them to the killer.

Detectives said several people witnessed the shooting. Some said they saw a young black man flee the scene after firing the shots, but there's not much more information available about the shooter.

There are at least seven surveillance cameras on the property, which may help police.

Colton's devastated loved ones are praying police can catch the shooter.

"He was a good dude, man, and he didn't deserve to die the way he did, you know?" Jason Colton, the victim's brother, said. "They took a son, father, brother, a loving person. He looked after anybody."

Colton leaves behind five young children. His 10-year-old son showed held up a picture of his father, Monday, saying "they killed my dad. I don't have a dad."

"Anybody that knows anything about this crime, please come forward," said Melinda Williams, the victim's ex-girlfriend. "My son has lost a father that means so much to him. Please, I'm begging, come forth."

The gas station manager told News4Jax some of incident was caught on surveillance video, including the victim walking across the parking lot before falling to ground. He said he was not sure if the shooter was caught on camera.

"(These cases) can be difficult (to solve) because the deceased would have the best information as to what's going on," News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said. "There were other people that were here at the gas station but he was the only one that was hit, so it appears that they were looking for this individual."

Troy Colton's friends and family are in shock and said they don't know who would want to kill him.

"He didn't have any enemies," Jason Colton said. "That's why it hurts so much. Because he would do for anybody. He didn't even have to know them. They shot him 10 times, that means he wanted the job done. So somebody come forward and say something."

Jason Colton said he and Troy's father was killed just a block away in 1995, and the murderer was never caught.

The gas station at 2990 Rayford Street in Murray Hill also has a history of violence. It was robbed just last month. There was a shooting there last year, when it was a BP station, there was a shooting there in 2005, when it was an Amoco station, and it was robbed in 2004 (Amoco).

Police are asking anyone with information about Sunday's shooting to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.