Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 9-26-17

Feature
Mother Of Murder Victim Searches For Answers
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
No parent expects to bury his or her child, espe- cially when that child is healthy. However, more and more parents in the Tampa Bay Area are finding them- selves in that position.
The most recent incident in Tampa that has left family members grieving pertains to O’Shay Lindsey Von- del Lewis. Lewis died last week after an unidentified gunman shot into the vehi- cle he was driving during the early morning hours of Sep- tember 17th.
According to Lewis’ mother, Ms. Chanjaree Lewis, he had attended the ‘Lil Boosie’ Concert at Club Palladium, 5305 N. Armenia Avenue.
Ms. Lewis is desper- ately seeking answers and is asking anyone with any in- formation about the shoot- ing to come forward.
Pastor Tom Jones,
President of #Communite- dUnited said, “It is so impor- tant that during times like these we come together as a community and to make sure that the responsible party be justly served. So many parents are losing their children to senseless crimes in public places and without witnesses coming forth, it makes the task that much harder for police to get resolution and bring closure to the victim’s family.
“For this reason, the community must come to- gether and sift those who are able to take a life so easily off the streets of Tampa and maybe even save a child’s life.”
Detectives said the shooting took place around 3 a. m., near the intersection of N. Armenia Avenue and Alva Street.
According to the Tampa Police Department, officers responded to the location in reference to shots being fired. When officers arrived
O’SHAY LINDSEY VONDEL LEWIS 11/02/1993 --- 9/18/2017
at the scene, they discovered Lewis, 23, of Tampa, and 24-year-old David Williams, Jr., inside a 2006 Nissan Altima.
Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene and Williams was transported to a local hospital, where he was admitted in serious con- dition. Both men had been struck by gunfire, police
said.
Williams continues to
recover from his injuries. The investigation re- vealed that Lewis was driv- ing when unidentified suspects drove up beside the Nissan and fired several
shots into the driver’s side. Police are actively at- tempting to identify the sus- pects in the shooting and trying to determine what took place that resulted in
the shooting.
Detectives are asking
anyone in the community with information about the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS or www.crimestopperstb. com.
Anyone providing infor- mation to Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.
About O’Shay Lewis
A Tampa native, O’Shay Lindsey Vondel Lewis at- tended the schools of Hills- borough County. He was
pursuing his GED from Hillsborough Adult School at the time of his death.
Ms. Lewis said her son always aspired to be a chef and was always cooking for his family and friends.
She further said his fam- ily was preparing to cele- brate his 24th birthday at the time of his death.
“There are two witnesses to the shooting and I just want answers. Detectives aren't telling us anything. We have witnesses reaching out via social media. We just want justice for my son,” Ms. Lewis said.
In addition to his mother, Lewis is survived by his father, Johnny Carter, a 7-month-old son, Vondel, other family mem- bers and friends.
Funeral services for Lewis will be held on Satur- day at 2 p. m., at Heaven Destiny Church. Aikens Fu- neral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3