Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 1-14-22

Feature
Mom Said Someone Needs To Come Forward In Death Of Son
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
There is an invisible thief in our community. Each year, he steals the lives of our young Black men. It seems, that several reasons account for his not being caught. But the most prevalent one is si- lence. For years, the commu- nity has remained silent about the death of Warren Donnell Mitchell, Sr., nearly 18 years ago. Mitchell would have cele- brated his 43rd birthday on January 9. His family, led by his mother, Ms. Wanda Conaway, keeps his mem-
ory alive and celebrates his birth.
Ms. Conaway said, “Al- most 18 years have passed and my son’s case has not been solved. I need that clo- sure. I need to know who is responsible for his death. I kn0w someone out there has some information about his murder. Someone needs to come forward.”
Mitchell was fatally in- jured by gunfire around 9 p. m., on August 1, 2004. He was in the area of Columbus Drive and MacDill Street when an unknown assailant shot him as he sat in his car. Mitchell drove a short dis-
WARREN DONNELL MITCHELL, SR. 1/9/1979 --- 8/1/2004
tance and contacted a Tampa
Police officer, who contact emergency services. Mitchell was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries.
Each year, his family re- members him and their loss. At the time of his death, Mitchell’s son, Warren, Jr., was 4-years-old. His son will turn 22 next month.
Ms. Conaway said she keeps in contact with the de- tective assigned to the case at the Tampa Police Depart- ment. But, like so many other murders of young Black men, the case has grown cold be- cause of a lack of informa-
tion.
She continues to wait for
the telephone to ring and the detective tells her that he has new leads in the case. But, that news has not come, no one has come forward. But she refuses to give up and she continues to wait.
Anyone with information about the murder can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS; or online at www.crimestop- pers.com.
Anyone with information about the murder may be el- igible for a reward of up to $5,000.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY PAGE 5-A