A man who shot Davonta Jason Combs to death with an assault rifle and wounded a woman during a chaotic gunfire as people left a local nightclub was sentenced to prison on Friday, court documents show.
According to court documents, the shooting was at least partially captured on cell phone video.
Trayvon Martease Strawn, 29, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter and to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as part of a plea deal, according to court records.
Thirtieth District Judge Jeff McKnight sentenced Strawn to 15 years in prison for Combs’ death and five years for shooting a woman in the torso as patrons exited Studio E in the 2400 block of Sheppard Access Road in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, 2018, it appears from court records.
Strawn will serve the sentences simultaneously and will receive 967 days credit for the sentence served.
Manslaughter carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Strawn was originally charged with murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life.
Another charge of aggravated assault was dismissed as part of a plea deal. Strawn was accused of shooting a second woman in the foot in the same incident, according to allegations in court documents.
Aggravated assault is punishable by up to 20 years.
When Strawn’s charges were pending, his bail was reduced after he sent a judge a letter pleading for reduced bail. He complied with the conditions, which included wearing a GPS ankle monitor.
In March 2021, another judge sent him back to jail and ordered him to transfer his stimulus money to a single-monitor company because he was behind on payments, according to court documents.
The judge upped Strawn’s bail, and he was still being held Friday at the Wichita County Law Enforcement Center, according to online court and jail records.
Strawn told police he heard people leaving the club say a shooting was about to take place, so he pulled an assault rifle from his vehicle, according to court documents.
Strawn told police a man fired a gun at him and he returned fire, according to court documents. Strawn was wounded in the torso and thigh in the gunfire. Police were dispatched to the shooting around 3:24 a.m. that day.
Cell phone video gave investigators part of the story.
The video shows Strawn walking across the parking lot to the nightclub’s front door firing a shotgun. Then Strawn was shot while looking at the front door.
The video shows Strawn shooting at the front door almost at the same time he was injured, court records show. An investigation found that Strawn shot Davonta Combs as he went out through that door.
Demetrion Combs told police he left the nightclub next to Davonta Combs, who was hit by one of Strawn’s bullets, according to court documents. But Demetrion Combs denied shooting Strawn.
Demetrion Combs was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. A Wichita County grand jury declined to indict him in October 2018 and the charges were dismissed.
However, the 36-year-old pleaded guilty to a gun charge in connection with the Studio E shooting. A witness had seen him with a firearm.
Demetrion Combs was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon on Oct. 11, 2022, by 78th District Judge Meredith Kennedy and sentenced to 18 years in prison, court documents show.
The offense carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, but his sentence was increased.
Two other charges against him in connection with another Studio E shooting on November 26, 2021 were dropped as part of a plea deal. The charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm were dismissed.
Trish Choate, business watchdog reporter for Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. For news tips, contact her at [email protected] Her Twitter account is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Trayvon Strawn plea
