Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 10-27-17

Feature
Mayor And Law Enforcement Meet With Seminole Heights Community To Discuss Triple Shootings
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Staff Writer
Angelique DuPree has a message for the person who killed her nephew, Benjamin Mitchell:
“Watch your back.”
DuPree was teary-eyed, but poised as she talked with media outlets Monday follow- ing a Seminole Heights com- munity meeting at Edison Elementary School.
Hosted by Mayor Bob Buckhorn and the Tampa Po- lice Department, hundreds packed into the school’s audito- rium to hear the latest updates in the shootings of Mitchell, 22, Anthony Naiboa, 20, and Monica Hoffa, 32.
Mitchell was killed Oct. 9, Hoffa, Oct. 11, and Naiboa, Oct. 19.
All three were alone when shot by an unknown assailant who police say they have yet to identify.
Uncertainty about the
killer, however, isn’t preventing DuPree from speaking out on her nephew’s behalf, because “he needs a voice.”
“I want the person who did it to know you’re not scaring us,” she said. “Yeah, you took lives from us, but there’s a mil- lion more and you can’t touch us.”
At the meeting, Interim Po- lice Chief Brian Dugan had no new information to offer anxious residents, but stated that his department has shared all that it knows at this time about the killings in an effort to find the person responsible.
“We’ve told more informa- tion than we normally do,” he said. “We will put a stop to this.”
While the term “serial killer” has been tossed around, information collected so far does not provide a clear profile of the killer, Dugan said.
The person could be a man or woman, Black or white, he said.
Hundreds filled the auditorium at Edison Elem. last Monday to hear from Mayor and Chief.
and remembers to leave the front porch light on.
Still, the duo tries not to live in constant fear, she said.
“We’ll try not to let it stop life,” Pullie said.
Safety Tips
Police are urging residents in the Seminole Heights area to be vigilant and follow some basic safety tips:
• Don't walk alone at night. If you must be out walking after dark, arrange to have a friend join you.
• Turn on outdoor lights, such as front porch lights. Tampa Police can provide light bulbs if necessary.
• Report any suspicious activity to police at (813) 231-6130.
If you have surveillance video that might assist detec- tives, call the Tampa Police De- partment at (813) 231-6130. (Photo by Frederick Har- ris)
-Source: Tampa Police De- partment
“We don’t know who this is,” he said.
In the meantime, residents should go about their daily ac- tivities, but be cautious and pay attention to their surroundings, Dugan said.
Additionally, “follow your instinct,” if something or some- one appears “suspicious”, he said.
“If you see something, say something,” he said. “There’s a very good chance that someone
in this room knows something, but they don’t realize it.”
Thelisha Aluc, who moved to Seminole Heights about a year ago, said she and her roommate, Amber Pullie, have changed up their routines slightly since the killings began.
“We’re definitely con- cerned,” she said. “Usually, it’s pretty quiet and people stick to themselves.”
Pullie said she holds off taking the garbage out at night
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A