Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 11-20-20

Feature
Shooting Sprees Continue In East Tampa Communities
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
In recent weeks, several East Tampa communities have been the battlegrounds for senseless shootings. Some have resulted in deaths while others result in various de- grees of injury.
On November 10, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to Nuccio Park in reference to a shoot- ing. When deputies arrived at the park, they discovered a 36- year-old man died while seven others were struck by gunfire.
stantly and are working tire- lessly to curb the crime and identify the individuals who behave recklessly and have no respect for human life. We aim to restore peace to this com- munity and we will continue to crack down on those who cause harm.”
Two days later, on Novem- ber 12th, gunfire erupted in the 1200 block of E. Palifox. In its wake, two men were killed and 4 others were injured.
Mayor Jane Castor said, “The gun vio- lence needs to end, but law enforcement can’t do it alone. It’s going to take a commitment from everyone — residents, community organizations, clergy and elected officials—to come together and take a stand against the violence that
is plaguing our community. We need everyone to be vocal and intentional in their actions to send a message that enough is enough so that another fam- ily doesn’t have to bury their loved one because of senseless street crimes.”
Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan
said, “In Sep-
tember, we as-
signed more
officers to the
area. Our pres-
ence is greater, but we must have cooperation. We have had victims who refuse to co- operate with us.
“If someone does not feel comfortable talking to police, then they can get the informa- tion to us. They can speak with their minister, a community leader, or leave an anonymous tip. There are ways of sharing the information if they are
afraid to speak with us di- rectly.”
Chief Dugan said last year, there were 25 murders in the city. As of today, there are 40 murders.
He further said that inves- tigators know that some of the shootings are retaliatory, and detectives are continuing to follow leads to solve the cases.
State Rep. Dianne Hart said, “These senseless
killings must
stop. We, as a community
have got to step up. Parents must become aware of what is going on. Search your chil- dren’s rooms and make sure there are no guns in your home.
“And this ‘no snitch’ rule has to go away. People are going to have to share their in-
formation with law enforce- ment to stop this violence. It is going to take all of us working together to bring this violence to an end.”
Ms. Yvette Lewis, Presi- dent of the Hillsborough
County Branch
NAACP said,
“The NAACP Hillsborough
County Branch is deeply sad- dened and troubled by the re- cent shootings. We are in constant communications with law enforcement agen- cies.
“We have made the deci- sion to walk and talk to the people in the community. We want to better understand the concerns and circumstances that have led to the recent vio- lent acts. Our condolence goes out to the victims and their families.”
At the time of the murder, Chad Chronister, Hillsbor- ough County
Sheriff said,
“We lost a life
tonight, due to
senseless vio-
lence. Our
deputies patrol
this area con-
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 3-A