15-year-old daughter of Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay dies in car park shooting crossfire
Two suspects held by police for questioning in the death of Trinity Gay
The 15-year-old daughter of American Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay died early on Sunday in hospital after a shooting in a restaurant car park in Lexington, Kentucky, officials said.
Trinity Gay was shot in the neck about 4am, police said.
Trinity was a top sprinter for Lafayette High School, where her father Olympic sprinter Tyson Gay, a Lexington native, also attended.
Condolences also were offered to the Gay family by fellow Olympian Ato Boldon, USA Track & Field, and others in the track community.
Tyson Gay told WLEX-18, “She didn’t make it. I’m so confused. She was just here last week for fall break. It’s so crazy. I have no idea what happened.” He said he was flying back to Lexington on Sunday.
Witnesses reported an exchange of gunfire between occupants of two cars, police said. Police detained two people for questioning. They are still searching for a second vehicle.
Police, said the 15-year-old was not in either suspect vehicle, and that the vehicle that took her to hospital is not a suspect vehicle.
Trinity Gay followed in her father’s footsteps on the track. He was a Lafayette High School standout who went on to three summer Olympics. She ran for Scott County High School as a seventh-grader before she moved to Lafayette in Lexington.
She was a sophomore and member of the track-and-field team. She was among the top sprinters in her class among Kentucky high school students. She ran fourth in last year’s girls’ 100-metre dash state championship.
Tyson Gay, 34, became a world sprint champion in 2007 and set the US 100m record two years later. He made his Olympic debut in 2008, and remains one of the all-time fastest runners.
Gay represented the US at the 2012 London Olympics, winning a silver medal with the 4x100m relay team but he lost the medal after testing positive for a banned substance in 2013.
