A 41-year-old man, Tracy Edwards of Montgomery, Alabama, lost his life in a shooting during the early morning hours of October 21, 2015. The incident occurred at Club Big Boyz, a nightclub located on the west side of the city. Edwards, who was a volunteer coach for the Prattville High School freshman football team, was fatally wounded. A second individual was also injured in the shooting but was expected to survive.
For over a year, the case remained without any publicly announced suspects. However, in February 2017, a significant development emerged as the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama announced a series of arrests in the Montgomery area targeting individuals for gun and drug violations. Among those arrested were four men whose charges were connected to the shooting at Club Big Boyz. The suspects were identified as Rashard Jarnez Hardy, 31, Taurio Kortavious Harris, 21, Trudyo Renardo Hines, Jr., 26, and Darrius Marcel Mastin, 25, all from Montgomery.
The federal charges against the four men included allegations of drug distribution and firearms possession in connection with drug trafficking, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm. Law enforcement officials also indicated that the arrested individuals were associated with several local gangs.
Court records reveal further details about the legal proceedings against at least one of the suspects. Taurio Kortavious Harris pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. During his sentencing, his guidelines were determined with a cross-reference to voluntary manslaughter, and he received a sentence of 92 months in prison. This legal detail points to a direct link between his firearm charge and a fatality. Harris later appealed his sentence, but the government moved to have the appeal dismissed. Court documents for Darrius Marcel Mastin indicate a motion to suppress evidence was denied, but the ultimate outcome of his case is not detailed in the available information. The specific trial outcomes and sentencing information for Rashard Jarnez Hardy and Trudyo Renardo Hines, Jr., in relation to the shooting of Tracy Edwards, are not readily available in the public records searched.
