Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 8-7-20

Feature
Mom Celebrates Daughter’s Life 9 Years After Death
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Recently, surrounded by family, friends, and young adults, Ms. Vonetta Scott celebrated the life of her daughter, Iesha Washington. To honor the young woman, Ms. Scott spoke of Iesha and released balloons in recognition of her birth- day on July 17th, and her death on July 30th.
“It was very nice. Many of the people who knew Iesha were there and supported me. It’s great to see that they are still committed after all of these years. It doesn’t seem like it’s been 9 years. We are still stand- ing, we will endure,” she said.
Iesha was one of two people fa- tally wounded after shooting erupted at a party that swelled to more than 400 people. Both of the victims are believed to be innocent bystanders.
IESHA WASHINGTON
7/17/1993 --- 7/30/2011 (Photo taken from Facebook)
Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a clubhouse at 5020 Highway 41 South, in Riverview, owned by the Local 439 of the International Chemical Workers Union.
Deputies began to search for vic- tims and discovered Ms. Washing- ton, who had turned 18 twelve days before, had died at the scene.
As the search continued, deputies also discovered that 22- year-old Craig A. Thompson had been shot as well. He was trans- ported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Police estimated that there were between 400 and 500 people at the party when someone began shoot- ing.
Within days after the double murder, detectives with the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Office ar- rested Tyrell Sidney Bragg.
Bragg was charged with second-
degree murder in the death of Ms. Washington. Police also recovered a .380 handgun believed to be the murder weapon.
However, the firearm used to claim the life of 22-year-old Craig Thompson, the second victim, was of a different caliber. His murder re- mains unsolved.
At the time of the murders, police learned that a fight had broken out inside the building and those in- volved were asked to leave. The shooting followed in the parking lot of the building.
Ms. Washington had gone to the party with her sister and brother. When the shooting started, she was exiting the car to look for her brother when she was struck by gun- fire.
Ms. Washington was a mem- ber of the Spoto High School Soft- ball Team. She would have begun her senior year in August 2011.
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