The Aug. 4 “physical altercation” between Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35, was over a love interest, according to a police report.<\/p>\n
Detectives reported Gay was the “primary aggressor” in the incident in Panama City.<\/p>\n
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Everette Krichbaum, left, and James Gay have been charged with aggravated battery. (Bay County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n
VIDEO SHOWS MOMENTS BEFORE ARMY VETERAN WAS FATALLY SHOT IN WALMART PARKING LOT DISPUTE<\/a><\/p>\n Krichbaum was sitting in his car in the Publix parking lot when Gay first approached him and started a “verbal altercation,” according to the arrest affidavit.<\/p>\n Gay then allegedly returned to his vehicle and came back with a machete in its sheath. He hit Krichbaum in the face with it, the document shows.<\/p>\n A feud between the two men had been brewing over a woman that Krichbaum is dating and Gay used to date, Stephanie Marshall told Fox News Digital. Marshall, who identified herself to Fox News Digital as Gay\u2019s girlfriend, is listed as a witness on a report by the Panama City Police Department.<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018VIBRANT\u2019 FLORIDA GRANDMA ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT OUTSIDE PUBLIX, FAMILY FIGHTS FOR JUSTICE<\/a><\/p>\n James Gay and Stephanie Marshall have been dating since June, Marshall told Fox News Digital on Aug. 5, 2026. (Courtesy of Stephanie Marshall)<\/p>\n As the two men squared up, Krichbaum started swinging a hatchet, Gay told police.<\/p>\n MYRTLE BEACH MAN WITH LENGTHY ARREST RECORD CHARGED WITH STABBING TWO PEOPLE IN POPULAR BEACH DESTINATION<\/a><\/p>\n When officers arrived, they found Gay with a deep cut on his pinky finger, exposing the bone, and a puncture in his lower abdomen, according to arrest records.<\/p>\n Krichbaum had multiple lacerations to his hands and face, the police report shows. He told investigators he became unconscious when Gay hit him in the head with a machete.<\/p>\n Shoppers use the crosswalk in front of a Publix supermarket in Alachua, Fla., on July 20, 2026. (Natasha Holt for Fox News Digital)<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Both Gay and Krichbaum were taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment. The police report shows that Gay told police he was “attacked \u2026 over his ex-girlfriend.”<\/p>\n The Washington County Sheriff’s Office assisted the U.S. Marshals Florida\/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force with arresting Everette Krichbaum on Aug. 5. (Washington County Sheriff’s Office)<\/p>\n SEND US A TIP<\/a><\/p>\n That same day, Gay was arrested<\/a> and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.<\/p>\n GOT A TIP?<\/a><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t Gay’s first altercation that turned violent, records show. In 2011, he was convicted of aggravated battery in the killing<\/a> of a 16-year-old boy near Panama City. In that incident, Gay used a chain wrapped around his hand to fracture the skull of the teen, court records show. Other co-defendants also were charged in the boy\u2019s death.<\/p>\n In 2012, Gay was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released early in June 2024, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.<\/p>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/James-Gay-and-Stephanie-Marshall.jpg\")
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