Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 12-24-21

Local
Chief To Address
Gun Violence
In East Tampa
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Rubin Delgado, In- terim Tampa Police Chief, will host a forum to address a rash of gun violence taking place in East Tampa. The forum will be held on Tues- day, December 28th at the Jackson Heights NFL YET Center, corner of N. 34th Street and E. Lake Avenue, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
Among those slated to speak at the forum includes Ms. Patricia Brown, founder of “Rise Up For Peace.” Ms. Brown formed the organization after her son was killed last year. The or- ganization is made up of par- ents who have lost children and others who have lost family members to violence.
Chief Delgado wants to discuss ways of addressing gun violence throughout the city. He will also talk about what the department has planned and new initiatives he is putting in place.
Since January 1st, the Tampa Police Department has investigated 47 murders. Two days before Thanksgiv- ing, 13-year-old TyQuahn Rashard Johnson was shot while in the parking lot of the Lee Davis Neighbor- hood Community Center. He died on Thanksgiving Day. Ja Marion Strange, 16, was arrested and charged.
On the night of December 7th, Ms. Savannah Mathis, 21, and her sister were riding in a vehicle near the intersec- tion of W. Grace Street and Delaware Avenue. She died two days later.
Last Thursday morning, an unidentified 24-year-old man was shot while in the area of Chelsea and Engle- wood. He was transported to the hospital, but did not sur-
RUBIN DELGADO Interim Tampa Police Chief
TYQUAHAN JOHNSON
SAVANNAH MATHIS
vive.
Additionally, several
other shootings have been in- vestigated, with injuries ranging from non-life threat- ening to critical. Those shoot- ings include 5 people being injured by gunfire on Alaska Avenue last Sunday; three people being injured in a shooting on N. Avon Avenue, and a shooting that left a man injured at the Skyway Park last Saturday.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 11-A