Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 7-30-21

Feature
Sheriff Launches GRIT Program To Combat Gun Violence
Tampa Bay Lightning’s Singer Urges Others To Get COVID Vaccine
MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Sonya Bryson-Kirksey, the renowned anthem singer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, has always fought for her health. Battling Multiple Sclerosis and other health is- sues have made her more susceptible to illness and put her particularly at risk to the coronavirus. She did her part by getting vaccinated.
Unfortunately, the perni- cious virus still made way into her system and she was admitted to the hospital last week with COVID-19-pneu- monia.
Just days earlier, Bryson- Kirksey celebrated the Lightning’s second straight Stanley Cup championship with other fans at Julian B. Lane Park in Tampa.
“(This) is probably the sick- est I’ve been in my entire life,” Bryson-Kirksey, 54, of Riverview said in an inter- view. “Breathing is hard. Talking is hard... I’m fighting to keep my life.”
Although Bryson-Kirk- sey was fully vaccinated in March, she suspects she may
SONYA BRYSON-KIRKSEY ... Tampa Bay Lightning anthem singer
have contracted coronavirus from someone at the celebra- tion who didn’t know they had it.
“People who don’t get vacci- nated are the carriers of these variants and they never even know,” Bryson-Kirk- sey said. “... They need to know COVID-pneumonia is not your sister’s home-bound mild case. My life has been on the line here since I ar- rived last Friday with a fever of 103.”
Bryson-Kirksey, who
retired from the Air Force in 2015, has been singing the national anthem before Lightning games at Amalie Arena for the past eight sea- sons.
She is one of the team’s most vocal and visible sup- porters and is both instantly recognizable and well-loved within the organization and throughout the Tampa Bay community.
Bryson-Kirksey’s passion for people goes both ways. Since news about her hospi- talization spread, there’s been an outpouring of love and well-wishes for the singer on social media.
From her hospital room, Bryson-Kirksey asked the community to help lift her up one more time.
“ I implore people not to let their pride stand in the way of getting vaccinated to pro- tect the people like me,” she said, “who really can’t fight for themselves.”
Those interested in send- ing cards and/or letters can address them, c/o the Light- ning, to Amalie Arena at 401 Channelside Dr., Tampa, Fla. 33602
Hillsborough County Sher- iff Chad Chronister introduced the GRIT Program during a press conference last week.
In an effort to combat and reduce gun violence, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has formed a team of deputies and detectives tasked specifically with inves- tigating non-fatal shootings.
The amount of non-fatal shootings has risen in Hills- borough County over the last year with an increase from 44 cases in 2019 to 72 cases in 2020. As of July 1, 2021, there have been 34 non-fatal shootings in unincorporated Hillsborough County.
Hillsborough County
Sheriff Chad Chronister
said, “Gun violence in any community should never be acceptable.
“Recognizing the increas-
ing national and local trends, we are initiating a proactive approach to combat and re- duce gun violence in our com- munity through the formation of the GRIT squad.”
The mission of the newly- formed Gunfire Response In- vestigations Team (GRIT) is to take an assertive and cen- tralized approach at investi- gating shootings with surviving victims, along with identifying and apprehending the offenders behind the acts of violence to ensure that they are aggressively prosecuted.
The Criminal Investiga- tions Division (CID) Homi- cide Section will continue leading efforts to investigate fatal shootings.
GRIT is comprised of four detectives, four deputies, and a supervising sergeant. The team will respond to and in- vestigate non-fatal shootings involving victims across all five Hillsborough County dis- tricts. GRIT will work closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Ex- plosives (ATF), using results obtained through the Na- tional Integrated Ballistic In- formation Network (NIBIN) to analyze ballistic informa- tion and search for links be- tween weapons used to commit other crimes.
By centralizing the team of deputies that comprise GRIT, HCSO will be able to more rapidly find connec- tions between shootings and other crimes, including drug- related violence.
Since the formation of GRIT on Monday, June 28, 2021, the team’s effort is al- ready having an impact.
Sheriff Chronister re- minded Hillsborough County residents that reducing gun violence is a responsibility shared by all members of the community, and some crimes can be prevented through gun owners remembering to store their firearms in a safe loca- tion, not an unlocked vehicle.
In 2020, 290 guns were stolen from vehicles in Hills- borough County. In 2021, to date, there have been 170 guns stolen.
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