Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-16-16 Edition

Features
Wrong Way Accident Ends With Double Fatality
This 2006 Acura was one of the vehicles involved in the deadly collision on Interstate 275 early Fri- day.
Two men died early Fri- day on Interstate 275 in downtown Tampa. One of the drivers was traveling in the wrong direction on the Interstate.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident happened at approximately 5:40 a.m., after 47-year-old Larry Lorenza Thomp- son, of Tampa, was driving a 2006 Acura when he entered the southbound downtown Tampa access ramp traveling northbound. Eugene M. Fischer, 65, of San Antonio, Florida, was driving his 2006 GMC truck southbound on the access ramp. The two ve- hicles collided and both came to rest in the two travel lanes of the ramp. Both drivers died at the scene.
Police said neither of the men were wearing seatbelts. It is unknown if alcohol or drugs played a role in the ac- cident.
Police further said they have not determined where Thompson was coming from or where he began to drive in the wrong direction. The accident remains under investigation.
Mom Upset Son Named As ‘Person Of Interest’ In Club Shooting
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
A week ago, two young Tampa men died after being struck by gunfire. The men were inside a local strip club when an unidentified shooter opened fire.
After obtaining video from the club, police released still shots of two young men they wanted to speak with who were club patrons. Both young men have been identified and interviewed by police. Neither has been charged and the in- vestigation into the shooting is continuing.
Ms. LaTonya Welch, mother of Jaquone Penny, said her son was the second young man whose photograph was released by the Tampa Po- lice Department.
“They don’t realize that they are putting these people in danger by releasing their pictures. They make people think they had something to do with it. My son said when he was leaving the club he could still hear the shots.
Ms. Welch further said, “They jeopardized my baby’s life by putting his picture out there like that. These young men have to live out here in this neighborhood.
“If someone wanted to help them, they wouldn’t after the way they handled it.
“I have known Marvin Lancaster’s family nearly all of my life, but we couldn’t go to the funeral because of the way the police handled it, making it look like my son had some- thing to do with his death.”
Ms. Welch further stated that when her son’s picture was released, they immedi- ately contacted Crime Stop- pers who contacted the Detective Price.
“We called about 30 min- utes after the picture was posted. Detective Price told
JAQUONE PENNY
him he was tired and would talk with him the next day. My son said, ‘no, you got my pic- ture out there, you need to talk to me, now.
Ms. Welch said she over- heard the conversation be- cause her son had his phone on speaker. She further said the detective asked who was with him at the club.
“My son told him, ‘I don’t know.’ The detective then told him, ‘If you’re going to lie, you need a lawyer because that is a conflicting story,” she said.
Steve Hegarty,
spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said, “Dur- ing the course of the conversa- tion, Penny asked for an attorney. He did say some things that were inconsistent as compared to what we saw in the videos.
“But, if he asked for an at- torney, the conversation ends. We still want to talk to him, but if he wants to bring an at- torney, he can arrange it. We are doing everything we can to solve a double fatality.”
Hegarty further said that it’s possible other pictures will be released from the video in the future as the investigation continues.
Ms. Welch said, “If they are really trying to solve this case, then they need to talk to the other victims. They know who shot them.”
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016