CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Jurors heard dramatically different versions of what happened as the trial began for the duo charged in the 2023 fatal shooting of a teenager at the intersection of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard and Holiday Drive.
The shooting occurred on the afternoon of Sept. 6, 2023, and Clarksville Police responded at about 3:18 p.m., according to previous Clarksville Now reports. A red Dodge Charger had sustained about 18 bullet holes in the driver’s side door and window. A description of the suspected vehicle involved was sent out to officers, and a vehicle matching that description was located around 3:37 p.m. with no one inside, according to previous reports. Anthony Knight, the 17-year-old victim, later died from his injuries.
Quantavious Deshawn Golliday, 29, was arrested on Sept. 13, 2023 on charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, according to court records. Curtis Tavarrez Solberg, 25, was arrested on the same charges about one week later. They were both later charged with employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, reckless endangerment, theft of property between $10,000-$60,000, and evading arrest.
Golliday and Solberg have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Here are six takeaways from the first two days of the trial.
1. Prosecution outlines case against defendants
Assistant District Attorney Chris West told jurors Knight was in the red Dodge Charger with his girlfriend in the passenger seat at the intersection where the shooting occurred. West said a dark colored truck pulled up in the left turn lane next to them. “From the passenger side two arms come out, and a hail of bullets come from the dark Silverado into this red Charger,” he said. “Somewhere between 20 to 30 bullets went into that vehicle.”
West said Knight was struck by at least four bullets and he died several days later. He added that the victim’s girlfriend nearly missed the gunfire herself by ducking. West said the truck left the scene and police put out a description. He told jurors officers began pursuing a vehicle matching that description on Warfield, the truck managed to evade them, and they found it abandoned a few minutes later in a neighborhood with shell casings inside.
West said police obtained surveillance video that placed the defendants at the Exxon gas station in the truck shortly before the shooting. He noted there were no cameras outside the gas station, but that the evidence will show some of the items Golliday purchased inside were recovered from the abandoned truck. He added that DNA evidence and cellphone data will link the defendants to the shooting.
2. Defense argues evidence is circumstantial
Defense attorney Chase Smith, representing Solberg, told jurors there are two trials occurring at once. “I encourage you to keep track of individual proof as you hear it,” Smith said, adding it is possible to find one guilty and not the other. Smith said the state’s case is based on circumstantial evidence and described the stop at the Exxon as the “dividing line.” He said cameras show both Golliday and Solberg went into the Exxon, but that Solberg exited before Golliday. “There’s no outside cameras to show that Mr. Solberg left in that truck,” he said, adding that no witnesses can place him in the truck during the shooting. He added he expects Solberg’s DNA to be in the truck because he was in there earlier that day.
Defense attorney Jake Fendley, representing Golliday, told jurors the evidence will point to the defendants’ innocence. “The state’s case is built on coincidence, guilt by association, and a truck that passed through many, many hands,” he said.
Fendley told jurors no witnesses could give a meaningful description of the shooters and that the defendants had no motive. He said when Solberg entered the Exxon, he had a “wad of cash in his hands,” adding Solberg could have sold the truck while at the gas station. Fendley suggested the items Golliday purchased at Exxon ended up in the abandoned truck because Golliday gave those items to the occupants.
3. Victim’s girlfriend recalls final moments
Iyanna Thompson, who was 17 at the time, was the victim’s girlfriend and passenger in the red Charger when the shooting occurred. Thompson testified that Knight was about to drop her off at work and they were waiting at a red light. “We were talking about prom,” she said. Thompson said she ducked when she heard gunshots.
During the chaos, she said Knight tried to reassure her. “He was telling me to get down and that I was going to be OK,” she said. “I remember shaking very hard.” Thompson said she was unable to get a good look of the people in the truck because blood had gotten in her eyes. She testified that she believed there were four people inside, and they appeared to be wearing masks.
Thompson said when the shots stopped, she tried to exit the car but the door was jammed. A bystander helped her out and she called her mom. She sustained a concussion along with cuts and bruises on her face. To her knowledge, she said, no one had any issues with Knight.
4. Eyewitnesses describe gunfire, crash, fleeing truck
Several bystanders testified about witnessing the shooting.
Courtney Reid, who was waiting at the red light in front of the Charger when the shooting occurred, testified she heard gunshots behind her, and her car was hit a few seconds later. The shooting triggered a chain reaction crash and Reid collided with the car in front of her. Reid told jurors after initial gunfire, she saw the back door and passenger door open. “I remember there was a few more gunshots after that and then it turned left,” she said, adding the light had turned green. “No cars in front of it. Nothing to stop it. Just perfectly timed, it seemed like.”
Reid said she saw one of the shooters who appeared to have dark skin. “I saw the guy in the back seat,” she said. “The back-seat shooter was darker skinned. Not white. Darker than me. Mexican, Black, darker.”
Another witness reported seeing road rage between the vehicles prior to the shooting.
Thomas Rucker, another bystander, testified he saw the incident through his rearview mirror and saw two arms coming out of the passenger side of the truck. He added that the magazines were emptied before the truck took off and that the whole incident lasted 30 to 45 seconds. Rucker said he did not see the faces of the shooters but did give a general description. “They had tattoos and they could have been white,” he said. “I just saw their forearms. They could have been light skin. I’m not sure.”
The eyewitnesses agreed that they did not observe shots coming from anywhere other than the truck.
5. Crime scene investigators detail some evidence
Clarksville Police Detective Isabella Hofinga, who responded with the CPD Homicide Unit, testified that she observed a lot of civilians in the area and told jurors about the evidence she photographed. “You could see a lot of shell casings up and down the road,” she said. Nearly two dozen shell casings were recovered.
Hofinga said she observed about 18 bullet holes in the driver’s door of the Charger, and that the entire back window was “out on the street.” Jurors saw many photos of the condition of the car and the shell casings recovered. She added that they searched the Charger thoroughly and no weapons were found.
Detective Joshua Clegg, who processed the Charger as a crime scene technician, testified that the car sustained front end damage from the wreck. Clegg said nearly a dozen projectiles were found inside the car along with a phone. Jurors saw photos of the projectiles as well as some bullets lodged in the driver’s door.
6. Officers describe pursuit, abandoned truck
Nikolas Nemeth, formerly an investigator with CPD’s Fatal Crash team, testified that he was patrolling on Wilma Rudolph when he was notified about the shooting and told to look out for a “dark-colored Chevy Silverado.” Nemeth said he saw a car matching that description heading the opposite way. He told jurors when he turned on his lights and sirens, the truck “took off at a high rate of speed” to evade him. He said there were three people in the vehicle and what appeared to be a light-skinned male driving.
Jurors saw dashcam video of the encounter. Nemeth pursued the vehicle before losing sight of it. He said policies about chases are strict and they must prioritize “maintaining the safety of citizens.” Nemeth said bystanders flagged him down and confirmed the direction he believed the truck had gone. He ended up in the Single Tree subdivision, where the truck was found abandoned. He said there appeared to be a “gunshot wound on the passenger side” of the truck. Nemeth said they utilized K-9s but did not come into contact with the people from the vehicle.
Retired Lt. Vincent Lewis, formerly CPD’s Traffic Commander, testified that he joined the pursuit of the truck which eventually led him to Bauling Lane in the Single Tree subdivision. Lewis told jurors when he spotted the truck, he notified dispatch and confirmed that the tires were still warm. He observed some shell casings in the bed of the truck that he believed to be connected to the incident. Lewis said he canvassed the area but no one had seen where the occupants of the truck had gone.
Court recessed Tuesday evening and will resume Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. at the Montgomery County Courts Center.
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