July 30, 2020
By: Staff Report
TAMPA, Fla. – A shooting suspect arrested in Tampa on Thursday night is also linked to multiple reports of shots fired in Hillsborough County.
At 7:28 pm Thursday, July 30, a resident on the 6300 block of Tadpole Lane in the Egypt Lake-Leto area reported seeing shots fired from a vehicle towards juveniles at a nearby park. Deputies responded and did not locate anyone with injuries.
Shortly after at 7:33 pm, an emergency call came in from the intersection of W Sligh Ave and N Habana Ave, where two victims reported being shot by a passing driver while inside their vehicle. Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Suspect arrested after shooting at and injuring police officer. @TampaPD, @HCSOSheriff, & @FHPTampa now working coordinated investigation regarding multiple shootings.
— TampaPD (@TampaPD) July 31, 2020
Details➡️https://t.co/ArQFbwwRjw pic.twitter.com/AwLjXATftC
At 7:35 pm at N Dale Mabry Hwy and Lambright St, another driver’s car was shot at leaving tires flattened. The driver pulled over in a CVS parking lot and called 911. The driver was not hurt during the shooting.
A Tampa police officer who was responding to reports of the shootings pulled the suspect over on Hillsborough Avenue. The suspect pulled his vehicle onto North 43rd Street, exited his vehicle and opened fire on the officer.
The 24-year-old officer, who has been on with TPD for about a year, was able to get out of the way of the shots. The bullets went through the front windshield and shattered the back window. The officer was hit by gunfire but is being treated and expected to be fine.
Deputies believe the same shooting suspect is linked to all three incidents, and the suspect began and ended his shooting spree within the city of Tampa before ultimately crashing his vehicle and being arrested within the city.
“We are thankful that through coordinated efforts with the Tampa Police Department, we were able to locate this dangerous individual who put so many lives at risk by shooting at random,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister.
“This is still a very active investigation, and we are working to determine why this person acted in such a violent manner. The pain he has caused his victims, including a Tampa Police Officer, and his reckless disregard for human life is unacceptable. He will be charged to the fullest extent of the law for his actions.”