Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 2-12-16

Murders At The Club
Young Man Killed At Club Loved People
Police Locate Person Of Interest In Club Shooting
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Marvin Douglass Lan- caster, III, was a typical young man who loved his family, his friends, children, and people in general. And, the 21-year-old had plans for the future.
However, his plans for the future will never be realized. Marvin, III, was sense- lessly murdered last Satur- day at a local club.
Now his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin (Nina Graham) Lancaster, Jr., are preparing for his burial.
Lancaster, who was a patron at Club Rayne, 8123 N. Nebraska Avenue, died at the scene. His mother said, she and her husband were in Hawaii celebrating her hus- band’s birthday on February 5th and their upcoming an- niversary on February 14th. They were supposed to re- turn home on February 16th.
“My husband had spoken with him about an hour be-
MARVIN DOUGLASS LANCASTER, III 6/22/1994 —- 2/6/2016
fore it happened. And then I received the telephone call,” she said.
Mrs. Lancaster said she knew that her son went out with his friends, but the loca- tion where the shooting took place “was a shocker. We didn’t know that he went to that place.”
Mrs. Lancaster said her son often told people that he was 21, but his parents
treated him like he was a 5- year-old. His mother said that although he was an adult, he still had a curfew and rules to follow.”
A native of Tampa, Lan- caster attended the public schools of Hillsborough County. He graduated from Bloomingdale High School.
After graduation, the young man enrolled at Hills- borough Community College and completed the Emer- gency Medical Technician Program. He had planned to become a firefighter.
At the time of his death, Lancaster was working as an Insurance Representative at Health Net and he was also employed at the Top Golf Company.
In addition to his parents, Lancaster is survived by two older sisters, other fam- ily members and friends.
Funeral services for Lan- caster will be held on Satur- day. Ray Williams Funeral Home is in charge of han- dling arrangements.
The Tampa Police De- partment is continuing its investigation into a fatal shooting last Saturday. The shooting resulting in the deaths of two young Tampa men and left 6 other patrons injured.
According to police, oper- ators received the first 9-1-1 call about the shooting at Club Rayne, 8123 N. Ne- braska Avenue, at approxi- mately 2:08 a. m. When officers arrived at the scene, there were approximately 100 patrons still at the club.
Stephen Hegarty,
spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said 21- year-old Marvin Douglass Lancaster, III, of Bran- don, died at the scene. An- other patron, Christopher Houston, 20, of Tampa, was shot in the back of the head. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died from his in- juries.
Six other patrons were hit by gunfire during the shoot- ing. The other victims were identified as: Ms. Restay- cia Carnegie, 20; Ms. Sheila McFadden, 17; Lancinet Stephens, 20; Equanzick Howell, 28; Jose Humphrey, 32; and 24-year-old Ms. Mekyala Mann.
The spokesperson said some of the victims were treated at local hospitals and released and others were admitted. However, all of the victims had been re- leased by Wednesday and are expected to recover.
Hegarty further stated that the investigation into the shooting is continuing. He stated that investigators
CLUB RAYNE
have not determined what occurred prior to the shoot- ing or who was involved in what is believed to be a dis- pute of some sort.
Hegarty also said police are unsure if more than one person was shooting inside the club.
Earlier this week, police released a photograph of a person of interest in the case. The man has been identified and interviewed by police. His name has not been released and he has not been referred to as a suspect in the shooting.
As the investigation con- tinues, investigators are asking anyone in the com- munity with information pertaining to the shooting to come forward.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a re- ward of up to $3,000 for in- formation that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect in the case.
Anyone with any infor- mation regarding this case and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), re- port anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using our P3 Tips mobile applica- tion, which is a free down- load for iPhones, iPads, and Droids.
Family Prepares To Bury Young Rapper Killed At Club
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Last Saturday, Christo- pher Houston arrived at Club Rayne, 8123 N. Ne- braska Avenue, shortly after 2 a.m. to retrieve his uncle. Within minutes of him walking into the establish- ment, shots rang out.
The up and coming young rapper was struck in the back of the head by a bullet. He died as a result of his in- jury.
His aunt, Ms. Yolanda Devine gave the following account of what took place at the club. “Chris was rid- ing with me and my hus- band. We had just dropped my sister (his mother), off. He told his mother he loved her and she told him that she loved him. And we went on to the club. He went in- side the club to tell his uncle we were outside.
“About two minutes later, people started running out and a boy collapsed in front of my car. I got out to help him. He was shot in the thigh. Another kid came out holding his head and said Chris had been shot. I sent my husband inside.”
Ms. Devine said her
CHRISTOPHER HOUSTON
husband saw the other young man and located her nephew. She said he was conscious and her husband told him to hang on, help was coming.
“Chris was a local rap- per and I really want people to know that Chris didn’t go to the clubs. That was prob- ably the second time he had been in a club,” she said.
A native of Tampa, Houston was the son of Ms. Katrina Watkins and Christopher Houston. He attended the public schools of Hillsborough County.
At the time of his death, Houston was an artist with #TeamUpEnt. Having lost
his brother, Sergio Smith, 21, to gun violence in March 2012, and his best friend, family and friends said Houston, 20, dedicated his music to spread awareness about gun violence.
In addition to being a rapper, the young man was also a Spoken Word Artist and enjoyed spending time with his family, including his two young children.
Last Tuesday evening, his family and friends held a candlelight vigil in his mem- ory. On Saturday, February 13th, beginning at 3 p.m., there will be a fish fry at the corner of E. 21st Avenue and Thelma Street to help defray the cost of funeral services.
A GoFundMe account has also been established for Houston. Anyone wishing to make a donation can visit www.GoFundMe.com/chris houston.
In addition to his parents and children, Houston is survived by siblings, other family members and friends.
Funeral services for Houston are tentatively planned for Saturday, Feb- ruary 20th. Harmon Funeral Home is in charge of han- dling arrangements.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A