Pensacola man Tavarras Thomas begins double murder trial in Attucks Court

Was it self-defense? That's the question the Escambia County jury will have to answer as the trial of a 43-year-old Pensacola man on double murder charges begins Thursday.

Tavarras Thomas is charged with the premeditated murder of 24-year-old Cieric Parker and 18-year-old Dominique Bullard following a shooting in Attucks Court on June 22, 2022. Despite prosecutors' claims that Thomas committed murder, defense attorney Todd Early argues his client should be acquitted because the shooting was in self-defense.

“There is evidence that Mr. Thomas was defending himself,” Early told the jury Thursday. “Mr. Thomas told every person he saw after the incident, 'I was shot. They shot me and I was defending myself.'”