A career criminal with an arrest record that goes back more than two decades is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with a mass shooting that occurred Friday night in Brooksville.
As George June Mason III attempted to flee the crime scene just as law enforcement arrived he was struck by a pick-up truck. He was transported to Regional Medical Center at Bayonet Point in Hudson with several broken bones.
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According to a Brooksville Police Department report the incident occurred just before 9 pm at 820 Peach St. The body of one of the victims – 81-year-old Jannie V. Taylor – was located inside the residence. The others were discovered in the roadway not far from the home.
Tarasha Yata Townsend, 37, and Ralph Ray Peyton, 29, were pronounced dead at the scene. Gabriel Frashawn Taylor, 33, was taken to Bayonet Point where he is listed in critical condition. Investigators say Mason, 42, chased Taylor down and shot him multiple times as he attempted to flee.
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the suspect and Townsend were involved in a relationship but detectives are still trying to determine a motive for the mass shooting.
Mason and Townsend lived together at 24922 Oakhaven Ct. in Lutz.
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The suspect is no stranger to law enforcement. Mason has served four stints in the state prison system on a variety of convictions out of Volusia, Hernando, Hillsborough and Escambia counties. He was last released from state prison in November 2007 after serving 30 months on a felony driving conviction.
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Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.
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Charles Townsend lives next door, and heard the gunshot. Initially he thought someone threw a brick at his front door. He says he knows the victims, as well as the gunman. "He was crazy as hell. He's been crazy all his life." Said Townsend about Mason. "There's more to that, but I'm not going to say. "