Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 6-24-22

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‘Gun Buy Back’ Set For Saturday
Mother Takes Action Against Violent Crime After Her Daughter’s Brutal Murder
LaMaria Smith and her beautiful angel, Savannah Mathis
Gun Violence Must Stop
Family members at the hospital with Savannah as she fights for her life.
LaMaria Smith, whose daughter Savan- nah Mathis was shot and killed in her car, is ac- ting against crime in Tampa by hosting an anti-crime barbecue.
The barbecue is being held at the Mac- Farlane Park shelter on June 26, 2022, from 1 p.m to 6 p.m.
Savannah is from the well-known family that owns Big John’s Bar-B-Que.
Smith’s daughter, a 5.0 high school gra- duate from Plant High School was a nursing stu- dent at HCC when she was shot at the intersection of Grace and Delaware on December 1, 2021 while driving with her sister.
Tampa police arrested two men in connection with the shooting, who according to witnesses shot the car before and after it crashed.
According to the arrest document a witness reported hearing gunshots and came outside to see what was going on. The witness told officers, just as he walked outside, he saw Savannah’s car hit the wall. The witness said he then spotted two men in the alleyway across the street from Savannah’s car. Right after the crash, one of the men fired six shots at the crashed vehicle. The witness told officers he saw the flash of the gun’s muzzle.
When police arrived, they saw a man walking out of the alleyway. That man, 29-year-old Al- fonso Evans, was carrying a gun that was later determined to be the same kind of weapon used to shoot at Mathis’ car, according to the arrest document.
Evans was arrested that night and charged with throwing a deadly missile into a vehicle. He was released on bond a short time later.
Ms. Smith’s child hung on to life for 2 days. Twenty days later, police announced the arrest of another man, 20-year-old Vakarvery Scott, in connection with Savannah’s death.
Scott was charged with shooting into a vehi- cle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and second-degree murder with a firearm. TPD said the arrests were made with the help of US Marshals. Both Evans and Scott were charged.
After the arrest, Ms. Smith told Fox 13 that she didn’t know how to feel about the arrest, and provided photos of her beautiful daughter figh- ting for her life to let the world see how gun vio- lence destroys the entire family.
Smith’s decision to host the barbecue was triggered by the recent black on black gun vio- lence including two murders 2 weeks ago.
She shared that she visits Savannah's grave every day.
On June 25, 2022, the Tampa Police Department will hold a ‘Gun Buy Back’ from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at two locations.
People wishing to ex- change their guns for cash can go to the parking lot at the SE corner of Bird Street and I-75 or the West Tampa Community Center, 2103 N. Rome Av- enue, Tampa, FL 33607.
All types of weapons in- cluding handguns, shotguns, rifles, and assault weapons will be accepted. Each gun will be exchanged for $100.
Both locations will be drive-thru. Guns must be stored in the trunk or rear of vehicle prior to entry.
TPD Chief Mary O’- Connor says that because of the increased gun violence lo-
cally and nationally, it made sense to offer the buy back.
“We do not want guns in the wrong hands, and we also want to raise awareness that a lot of guns are unwanted. This is a no questions asked situa- tion. Citizens can be reassured that their unwanted guns will be destroyed.”
O’Connor also stressed that residents that cannot make it on Saturday can still get rid of their guns.
“For people that cannot come, there will be other op- portunities. If you just cannot make it, please look for addi- tional opportunities.”
O’Connor believes that this will help. “We are empha- sizing responsible gun owner- ship. This gun buy back is crucial to getting unwanted guns off the streets.
FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 3-A