Fight outside motel door leads to shooting

TAMPA -- Carlton K. Gay told police he was expecting "female company" at his motel room when he responded to a knock at the door.

Moments later, two gunshots pierced his body.

Police are now looking for two people in connection with the early morning shooting.

The incident started just before 4 a.m., when Gay, 29, opened the door to his Jayhawk Motel room to find a heavy-set woman dressed in a matching orange shirt and pants set.

As soon as the motel door swung open, police said the woman ran to the passenger side of a nearby parked car. That's when, police said, a man exited the driver's side of the car and demanded money from Gay.

The two started fighting and Gay was shot in the chest and stomach. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital.

Police said the shooter ran away. The car, believed to be a black Nissan, drove out of the parking lot of the motel, located at 3415 N Nebraska Ave.

The woman is described as a black female between 25 and 30 years old, about 5 feet 7 and weighing 170 pounds. She had a pony tail down to her lower neck.

Police described the man as a black male, believed to be 30 to 35 years old. Police think he is 6 feet 1 and about 180 pounds. He has a dark complexion, a short haircut and a thin manicured beard. He was last seen wearing baggy, stonewashed jean shorts, white socks and a black hooded sweatshirt.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer