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Wounded daughter says others involved

Chanel Cato told detectives that two young men were with Jonaey Peyton when she and her father were shot July 26.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD and GINA PACE
Published August 4, 2006

Chanel Cato told authorities Jonaey Peyton shot her on the doorstep of her Lacoochee home, where she found her father just past midnight July 26 with a gunshot wound to the face.

Cato also told authorities Peyton wasn't alone.

In court documents released Thursday, Cato told a sheriff's detective that Peyton, 18, was accompanied by Kenny Steele, a 16-year-old former Pasco High fullback.

Friends say Steele is the cousin of Alfredie Steele Jr., who is awaiting trial in the 2003 killing of Lt. Charles "Bo" Harrison.

Cato also mentioned the name of Jeremy Hanson Henry, the 20-year-old being sought for questioning in a July 28 shooting that left two Wesley Chapel teens dead on a Trilby dirt road.

But Cato gave authorities conflicting statements. She told paramedics "that she was shot by Jeremy, Jene [Jonaey] and Kenny," but told detectives she did not see Jeremy Henry, although she had been told he was there, according to Detective Mel Eakley's affidavit in the case.

Peyton was charged Wednesday with the attempted murder of Chanel Cato, who was wounded in the chest.

The Sheriff's Office continues to look for Henry for questioning in the Trilby shooting deaths of Derek Pieper, 17, and Raymond Veluz, 18, both of Wesley Chapel.

Earlier this week, authorities described Henry as the leader of a "posse" that included Peyton.

But sheriff's spokesman Doug Tobin declined Thursday to say whether Henry or Steele was wanted for questioning in the Cato case.

Cato, 31, and her father, Ponce Cato, 54, were shot about 12:30 a.m. at their McKray Road mobile home. The Sheriff's Office said deputies found cocaine inside the house but released no other information.

According to the court records, Ponce Cato told detectives that Peyton and Steele approached him at his front door, and Peyton asked for a cigarette. After Ponce Cato gave him one and turned to go in, he was shot in the right side of his face, then in the leg as he tried to crawl inside.

Chanel Cato said she woke up to the gunshots. She ran to the front door, and as she bent down to help her father, she saw Peyton point a gun at her and fired, according to court records.

Peyton, a former Pasco High wide receiver, is the younger brother of Johnny Peyton, who also played for the Pirates and later at the University of South Florida.

It's not clear whether Johnny Peyton was kicked off the USF team earlier this year or if he left on his own to play at another school.

In addition to Steele, Chanel Cato said she saw two other people in the yard. She gave only their first names, according to the document, and Tobin would not elaborate on who those people are.

[Last modified August 3, 2006, 23:07:58]