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Man arrested in connection with St. Petersburg boxing match shooting

The shooting occurred in a parking lot where an outdoor boxing ring had been set up, police said.
 
The shooting at a boxing event in St. Petersburg on Saturday night left one dead and four other people injured.
The shooting at a boxing event in St. Petersburg on Saturday night left one dead and four other people injured. [ St. Petersburg Police Department ]
Published Oct. 31, 2021|Updated Oct. 31, 2021

A 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with a shooting that left one dead and four other people injured during a boxing match in St. Petersburg on Saturday night, police said.

On Sunday morning, Robert Lee Cooley, 21, was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed firearm and discharge of a firearm in public in connection with the incident.

Police identified the deceased as 21-year-old Trevon Montrell Barton.

Police said Barton died at a hospital from injuries sustained during the shooting, and have notified his next of kin. Two men and two women were also shot, according to police.

At 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, Police responded to the Skyway Plaza, 1079 62nd Ave. S, where a “temporary outdoor boxing ring” had been set up in a back parking lot, according to a news release from St. Petersburg police. The release noted that about 200 people were at the gathering.

An “altercation between two groups occurred and several shots were fired,” the release states.

Police said detectives are still questioning several people. Anyone with information about the incident can call the St. Petersburg Police at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD plus your tip to TIP411.