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3 Kentucky Men Arraigned in Killing of Trinity Gay, Tyson Gay's Daughter

The men, who pleaded not guilty to wanton endangerment, were charged with firing guns outside a Kentucky restaurant, killing Trinity Gay.
Image: Trinity Gay with her father Tyson Gay
Trinity Gay with her father, Tyson Gay, in May 2014.Mark Maloney / Lexington Herald-Leader via AP

Three Kentucky men were arraigned Monday in the killing of Trinity Gay, the 15-year-old daughter of Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay.

Two of the men — Chazerae M. Taylor, 38, and his son, 19-year-old D'markeo C. Taylor — pleaded not guilty to charges of wanton endangerment, a Fayette County criminal deputy clerk confirmed to NBC News.

Bail for both was set at $5,000. It was not immediately who Chazerae's lawyer was, the clerk said. D'markeo's lawyer, Adele Brown, declined to comment.

Dvonta Middlebrooks, 21, pleaded not guilty to wanton endangerment and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the clerk said. Middlebrooks' bail was set at $12,500. Details were not immediately clear on his lawyer, the clerk said.

Citing court documents, NBC station WLEX reported that the men admitted to firing guns in the parking lot of a Cook Out restaurant, where Trinity was shot in the neck about 4 a.m. Sunday. She was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Tyson Gay — a three-time Olympian and Lexington native — told WLEX that he was reeling.

"I'm so confused," he told the station. "I have no idea what happened."

Trinity attended Lafayette High School, where she was a gifted sprinter who placed in the top five during a state championship in May, according to The Associated Press.

Julian Tackett, chief executive of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association, said on Twitter that he was shocked to hear of her death.

"A life of such potential cut so tragically short," he wrote. "Sympathies to Tyson and entire family."

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray offered condolences as well, saying on Twitter that "tragedies like this require us to pull together as a caring community, and we are doing that. #TrinityGay."

The AP reported that grief counselors were made available Monday to students at Lafayette, where a vigil was scheduled for 8 p.m.

A friend of Trinity's, Tara Defoor, told WLEX that, like her father, Trinity had Olympic dreams. The two spent Saturday night together, she said, watching movies and talking before Trinity took off to meet up with other friends.

"The last thing I said to her was, 'Be safe,'" Tara told the station. "She said, 'I will. Call me if you need anything. I love you.'"