PANAMA CITY, Fla. (Court TV) — A former amateur fighter is standing trial in Florida on charges he killed another man during a fight outside of a bar.
Ross Johnson appears in court during jury selection on May 18, 2026. (Court TV)
Ross Allen Johnson, 26, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and aggravated battery in the death of Dayvon Larry, 31, who was an airman in the U.S. Air Force.
In court documents, investigators said that Johnson had been with a group of friends at the Coyote Ugly Saloon in Panama City on April 9, 2023, when their group got into an altercation with another group of men they did not know. At some point, the fight spilled out of the bar and into the parking lot.
Prosecutors say that surveillance video shows Johnson leaping over a patio fence and running toward a fight between his friend and others he didn’t know. The video allegedly shows Johnson punch Larry once with a closed fist behind the victim’s ear, knocking him to the ground, before continuing on to join the larger altercation.
Detectives said in their report, “It should be noted the defendant changed his story multiple times while being questioned, in particular about him hitting the victim, [Dayvon Larry]. He claimed he pushed the victim, then stated he struck the victim with his right hand, and once again changed his story, saying he struck the victim with his left hand.” An autopsy revealed a “softball” size hematoma behind the victim’s left ear, as well as a 3-inch skull fracture.
Johnson told officers that he was previously a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and had a record of five wins and two losses after three years of “advanced fighter training.” He also said he is left-handed.
In a motion to dismiss, which the court denied, Johnson argued he had been acting in self-defense during the fight after seeing Larry holding an empty bottle “like a weapon.”
Prosecutors say after the incident, Johnson told a friend, “Man, I hit that guy, I laid him out, and I think I killed him,” and texted a woman on social media about the victim, saying, “Dude is still not moving.”
Jury selection began on May 18.
