On September 24, 2022, Steven Paul Colón was shot and killed by David Ross Gregory in Osprey, Florida. The evidence demonstrates this was not a justified homicide, but rather a case of premeditated murder that warrants immediate prosecution.
Both David Gregory and his wife Amy admitted in testimony that David crossed over to Steven's side of the road. This admission establishes Gregory as the aggressor, fundamentally disqualifying any self-defense claim under Florida's Stand Your Ground law.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) was fully aware that David Ross Gregory did not possess a valid concealed carry permit at the time of the September 24, 2022 shooting. Under Florida law at that time, this constituted a third-degree felony, as a concealed carry permit was required to lawfully possess and carry a firearm in public.
During his own recorded interview with SCSO investigators, Gregory admitted that he did not have a valid permit, a fact the agency verified through state records. Despite this clear admission of a felony weapons offense, the SCSO willfully refused to charge Gregory, thereby engaging in selective application of the law. This deliberate inaction reflects an effort to shield Gregory from prosecution and to conceal the unlawful nature of his firearm possession, which directly impacts his eligibility for Stand Your Ground immunity.
By failing to act, the SCSO knowingly allowed the statute of limitations to expire on this felony offense during the past year, effectively ensuring that Gregory would avoid prosecution. However, this failure does not foreclose accountability. The State Attorney retains the authority to file an Information charging Gregory with this offense, or alternatively, to convene a grand jury to return an indictment.
Under Florida Statute §776.012(1), individuals engaged in unlawful activity are explicitly disqualified from Stand Your Ground protection. Gregory's unlawful possession of a concealed firearm therefore negates any immunity claim and underscores the fundamental injustice in SCSO's decision to disregard this offense.
The forensic evidence directly contradicts Gregory's account of a close-range struggle. Multiple witnesses heard two gunshots, not one, suggesting excessive force. The investigation was procedurally flawed, biased, and failed to collect or preserve critical evidence.
The Medical Examiner's forensic findings establish that the fatal shot was fired from a distance of approximately 5–6 feet. Gunshot residue (GSR) results further corroborate this conclusion, confirming proximity consistent with the Medical Examiner's analysis. Forensics also place David Ross Gregory on Steven Paul Colón's side of the road at the time of the shooting.
Despite the clarity of these forensic findings, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) continues to rely on false narratives, unfounded rumors, and discredited assumptions to justify their refusal to charge Gregory. These conclusions are factually unsupported and scientifically contradicted.
It is now incumbent upon the State Attorney's Office (SAO) to correct this grave miscarriage of justice, to rely on verified forensic and medical evidence rather than conjecture, and to remove this decision from the hands of those who have repeatedly demonstrated investigative incompetence and bias.
The evidence in this case is overwhelming and unambiguous. David Ross Gregory murdered Steven Paul Colón in cold blood, executing a plan he had articulated to multiple witnesses over the preceding weeks. His claim of self-defense is a transparent fabrication, systematically dismantled by forensic science, neutral eyewitness testimony, and his own contradictory statements.
This was not self-defense. This was murder.
The State has:
Respectfully, the State Attorney has the necessary elements to authorize the filing of charges for First-Degree Premeditated Murder against David Ross Gregory and vigorously oppose any claim of Stand Your Ground immunity.
Justice for Steven Paul Colón demands nothing less.