Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 3-3-20

Crime
Robbery Suspect Dies Of Self-Inflicted Gunshot
Investigation Of Woman Found Dead In Car Continues
A man who led police on a chase and allegedly shot him- self has died. Rashad Hill died last Friday.
Hill was wanted in con- nection with an armed rob- bery that took place last Sunday. A man later identi- fied as Hill reportedly robbed the Noor Meat Mar- ket, 5606 N. 40th Street, was being sought by Tampa Po- lice. Detectives had obtained a warrant for his arrest and listed him as armed and dan- gerous.
According to the Tampa Police Department, police were notified that Hill, 45, had been spotted in the area of Tampa International Air- port late last Tuesday. He was reportedly driving a 1999 4-door Lexus and he was re- portedly still armed.
Tuesday night, police ob- served the vehicle Hill was driving as it was exiting air- port property. Officers in street clothes and driving an unmarked car deployed stop sticks that flattened one tire on the vehicle. Hill contin- ued to drive and Air Service began surveillance on the ve- hicle.
When it reached the in-
RASHAD THULANI HILL ... Died of gunshot wound
tersection of E. Hillsborough Avenue and N. Armenia Av- enue, police again used stop sticks to flatten another tire on the vehicle.
Hill continued to drive with two flat tires. When he reached the intersection of N. 42nd Street and E. Idlewild, Hill began driving aggres- sively, police said.
Officers initiated a pur- suit that ended when the Lexus struck a police vehicle at the intersection of Idlewild and N. 48th Street.
Hill remained in the ve- hicle despite orders from the police to get out. Officers ap- proached the vehicle and dis- covered that Hill was
suffering from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. They also discovered a gun inside the vehicle as they removed Hill. Hill was transported to Tampa Gen- eral Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condi-
tion.
Sources in the community
had told the Sentinel that Hill was reportedly respon- sible for the death of the woman whose body was found in a vehicle Monday around 7 a.m., at the inter- section of N. 43rd Street and E. Fern Avenue. A neighbor had called police and re- ported an abandoned vehicle behind a vacant house.
Sources also told the Sentinel that the body of a man was in the trunk of the car where the woman was found. A spokesman for Tampa Police said police did not find a second body in the trunk of the vehicle. How- ever, police have not officially linked Hill to the murder.
On Friday, police said the robbery of the meat market and the death of the uniden- tified woman may be related. Both investigations are con- tinuing.
Detectives are continuing their investigation into the death of a Tampa woman. Her body was found in a car last Monday.
Last Monday, a neighbor reported a body in a car be- hind a vacant house. Police arrived and found the body of a young woman in a car near the intersection of N. 43rd Street and E. Fern Avenue.
According to police, detec- tives believe the woman’s murder is related to the armed robbery of an East Tampa meat market last Sun- day night.
In that case, a warrant was issued for 45-year-old Rashad Hill. Last Tuesday night, Hill allegedly led po- lice on a chase from Tampa International Airport to East
Tampa. Once he reached the intersection of E. Idlewild and N. 48th Street, where the vehi- cle he was driving crashed into a pole.
When police approached the crashed vehicle, they found Hill had reportedly shot himself. He was trans- ported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died Fri- day night.
Police have not released the name of the murder vic- tim. However, social media has identified her as Ms. Zenobia Lynch.
The investigation is con- tinuing. Anyone with infor- mation about the case is asked to contact Crime Stop- pers of Tampa Bay at 1-800- 273-TIPS or online at www.crimestopperstb.com.
Plant City Man Given Seven Years On Gun Charge
U. S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced a Plant City man to seven years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to being a con- victed felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition last October.
The Court also ordered James Bailey, 33, to forfeit the firearm and ammunition.
According to court docu- ments, on March 12, 2019, law enforcement officers re- sponded to a 9-1-1 call re- garding an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Upon arrival, the officers encoun- tered Bailey and located a loaded sawed-off shotgun, with an obliterated serial number, at the rear of his ve- hicle.
Bailey then fled on foot, but was apprehended after a
JAMES BAILEY
short foot chase. Following his arrest, Bailey admitted to possessing the firearm.
Witnesses also confirmed that Bailey had pointed the shotgun out of his car’s win- dow. Bailey, has been con- victed of felonies on 11 different times and is banned from having a gun or ammu- nition.
Convicted Felon Sentenced For Having A Firearm
Last week, a federal judge sentenced a Tampa man to serve time in prison. He is a convicted felon who was ar- rested for being in possession of a firearm.
U. S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew sen- tenced 29-year-old Andron McKinney to seven years and eight months in federal prison for having the gun and ammunition as a convicted felon. The court also ordered McKinney to forfeit the firearm and ammunition used in the offense.
McKinney had pleaded guilty on November 29, 2019.
According to court docu- ments, subsequent to a traf-
was found on the magazine inside the pistol. At the time, McKinney had multiple prior convictions for nar- cotics-related felonies and domestic violence felonies and is therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.
ANDRON McKINNEY
fic stop, law enforcement of- ficers searched the car that McKinney had been driving and found a loaded pistol un- derneath the driver’s seat.
McKinney’s fingerprint
UNCLE SANDY
Optimism is a strategy for making a better future, 2, 13, 22, 34, 50. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, 8, 16, 31, 44, 62, you are unlikely to step up and take respon- sibility for making it so.
PAGE 16 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020