Man faces second-degree murder charges after verbal altercation turns violent

One man is dead and another is facing second-degree murder charges Sunday after police say a verbal confrontation turned violent.

Roger Clinton, 40, was pronounced dead at the scene after he was shot at least once before falling to the ground, according to a release from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. The shooting took place around 9:46 p.m. Saturday in the 600 block of 33rd Avenue Drive East.

Tarance Gordon, 36, was arrested around 1:56 a.m. Sunday after a warrant was issued for his arrest in connection with Clinton’s death. Gordon was booked into the Manatee County Jail on a charge of murder in the second degree, where he remains in custody, according to jail records.

Officials believe Gordon and Clinton were familiar with each other and had a verbal altercation prior to the shooting.

Clinton left the area where the fight occurred, but returned shortly thereafter, according to the release. But when he returned, Gordon allegedly approached Clinton with a shotgun and began shooting. Gordon took off running.

It remains unclear why the men were fighting. No other information was released by officials after the initial release Sunday morning.

The incident is under investigation by the Manatee Homicide Investigative Unit.

Sunday afternoon, several people made Facebook posts in memory of Clinton.

Manatee County court records indicate that Gordon is a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history, with numerous traffic and misdemeanor charges and arrests for at least three felonies.

In December 1999, he pleaded no contest to a felony charge of fleeing to elude police for a July 1999 incident. He was sentenced to eight months in the county jail, with credit for time served.

In October 2003, Gordon was arrested on an aggravated battery charge, but the state attorney’s office later declined to prosecute. He was found guilty on a related marijuana possession charge and sentenced to a year of probation.

And in March 2008, Gordon pleaded no contest to a charge of being a felon in possession of a weapon and sentenced to 11 months, 29 days in the county jail after Bradenton police in May 2007 executed a search warrant at his residence and found two guns and ammunition in his bedroom, according to court records.

In addition to the felony charges in Manatee County, Gordon was also found guilty of possession of marijuana, a first-degree misdemeanor, in Sarasota County in 2011, court records show. A warrant was later issued for his arrest after he completed just 16 of his 30 days in an Offender Work Program he was ordered to complete after the July 2011 sentencing.

This story was originally published December 18, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Man faces second-degree murder charges after verbal altercation turns violent."