Page 36 - Florida Sentinel 12-31-21

Crime Two Men Arrested In Death Of Nursing Student
Another Man’s Body Found In Hillsborough River
Body found in 4800 block of Riverhills Drive
Two Tampa men have been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting on De- cember 1st. With the help of the U. S. Marshal Service, the Tampa Police Department has arrested 20-year-old Vakarvery Scott last Wednesday and charged him with second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and shooting into an occupied vehicle.
A second man, 29-year- old Alfonso Evans, was ar- rested the night of the shooting, and faces a felony charge of shooting into an oc- cupied vehicle.
The December 1, 2021 in- cident left two women in- jured. Ms. Savannah Mathis died two days later. Another young woman in the vehicle was injured, but sur- vived.
Ms. Mathis was the eld- est of two daughters born to Ms. LaMaria Smith.
She was the granddaugh- ter of Ms. April Moreno, owner of C. J’s Barbecue, the CEO of the restaurant, and the great granddaughter of the late Rev. John Stephens, founder of Big John’s Alabama Barbecue.
Ms. Mathis was a 2018
MS. SAVANNAH MATHIS ... Did not survive her injuries
honor graduate of Plant High School. With a 5.0 grade point average, Ms. Mathis was enrolled in the Nursing Program at Hillsborough Community College.
She was a sophomore an- ticipating graduation and had plans to enroll in the Nursing Program at the Uni- versity of Florida. She was also an avid Gators fan, her aunt said.
She was a member of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens and loved singing, being goofy, and sampling different types of foods.
Ms. Mathis loved chil- dren and worked at the em- ployee’s daycare at Tampa
VAKARVERY SCOTT
ALFONSO EVANS
General Hospital. She also worked as a surgical assistant at the hospital.
Tampa Police detectives worked with partners at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to link forensic evidence to the suspects.
The investigation is ongo- ing and additional charges may be pending.
For the second time in a
week, the body of a man has
been discovered in the Hills-
borough River. The first body
was discovered on December 16th.
According to the Tampa Police Department, a 9-1-1 call was received around 11:30 a.m., last Wednesday, December 22nd. Police re- sponded to the scene and lo-
cated the body in the 4800 block of Riverhills Drive be- hind a vacant house.
The first body was discov- ered December 16th, around 2:30 p.m. near the 6600 block of North Riviera Manor Drive.
Police have not released any additional information on either man. The investiga- tions are continuing.
18-Year-Old Man Dies After Being Shot
The Tampa Police De- partment is investigating a fatal shooting. The incident took place in the Grant Park area.
According to police, the Communications Center re- ceived a 9-1-1 call around 12:06 p. m., Tuesday after- noon. The caller reported that someone had been shot near the intersection of 52nd Street and 30th Avenue. Officers arrived at the scene and located an 18-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The shooting took place near the intersection of N. 52nd Street and E. 30th Avenue Tuesday afternoon.
No additional informa- tion has been released and the investigation is continu- ing.
Homicide detectives are asking anyone with informa- tion, to call (813) 231-6130 with tips.
UNCLE SANDY
It does not matter how slowly you go, 7, 16, 28, 38, 42, 50, as long as you do not stop, 10, 28, 36, 52, 62.
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