Sean Rossman

Democrat staff writer

A gas station clerk shot and killed a suspected serial robber during a Saturday evening holdup in south Tallahassee.

Matthew Brown, a 20-year-old connected to several recent Leon County robberies, was shot and killed at the Sunoco gas station at the corner of Woodville Highway and Gaile Avenue.

Shortly after, court documents said, police arrested Brown's suspected getaway driver, Kendrick Herring. The 26-year-old was released from prison in September after being cleared in a 2011 fatal shooting.

The Tallahassee Police Department said the incident occurred just before 8 p.m., when Brown flashed a gun and demanded the clerk hand over money. The two men fought over the gun and the clerk was shot in the skirmish. The clerk then ran behind the counter, grabbed a gun and shot Brown, killing him.

The clerk is expected to recover from his injuries. Brown, who had no prior criminal record in Leon County, was found dead at the scene.

The silver Cobra handgun Brown used matched the firearm described in 10 Leon County robberies since Nov. 12. The robbery locations included several fast food restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations. In all cases, police spotted a black Michael Kohrs backpack, the same bag Brown had at the scene.

1 dead in south Tallahassee gas station shooting

After the shooting, TPD officers were able to catch up with Herring, who, TPD says, was the getaway driver in all of the robberies. An officer spotted him at the Kangaroo station across the street, where he was pacing near his Hyundai Accent. When approached, he nervously handed the officer his car keys and two cell phones, one of which belonged to Brown.

Inside the car, court documents said, were clothes matching those used in all 10 robberies as well as zombie and clown masks used in some of the crimes. The officer also discovered crack, cocaine and marijuana in the car.

Herring was charged with armed robbery, possession of marijuana and cocaine and murder while engaged in a felony offense. He is in the Leon County Jail being held without bond.

In 2013, a Leon County jury convicted Herring of second-degree murder among other charges for his role in a 2011 drug deal gone wrong on Joe Louis Street. Court documents said a man opened fire on two drug dealers, killing one and injuring the other. Herring was sentenced to life in prison.

In the wake of the shooting, authorities tracked Herring's cellphone without a warrant. The tactic led law enforcement to Herring, who was found with the murder weapon and other evidence. Herring tried to suppress the evidence in court but was denied.

However, the First District Court of Appeal reversed Herring's conviction claiming police should have received a written warrant before they started to track his cell phone, court documents said.

In a new trial, the evidence was suppressed. On Sept. 8, State Attorney Willie Meggs dropped the case, saying without the evidence his office lacked the ability to prove Herring's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Herring also has served two other prison stints: From 2008 to 2009 on a battery charge and from 2009 to 2010 on a charge of cocaine possession.

Contact Sean Rossman at srossman@tallahassee.com or follow @SeanRossman on Twitter.