Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 10-30-15 Edition

Features
Murder Victim’s Dad: ‘Community Must Solve Violence Issues’
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday, members of the Department of Justice, Bu- reau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Tampa Police Department held a joint press conference. The conference was to an- nounce the increase in the re- wards being offered in 4 murders that took place this year.
One of the victims was Lyfe Coleman, 18. Coleman was the first person in the City of Tampa to die violently and the second in the county.
Life Malcolm, father of the slain teenager, did not at- tend the news conference.
He shared the following comments about the death of his son and others this year.
“I’m comfortable with them increasing the reward in the death of my son. I didn’t attend the press conference because I don’t believe ATF or Tampa Police can solve the problem because they have all of the re- sources and the problem has not stopped. If I thought they could, I would have been there.
“If the police could, then we wouldn’t have these murders. Almost 60 people have died this year and the police can’t do
LIFE
anything about it.”
He continued to say that
the solution does not lie with law enforcement or with those who only hold meetings and marches and stop there. “The solution is in the community. People know who killed my son and they know that these killings are making victims of mothers, fathers, children and siblings.
“People know who are com- mitting the crimes, but they don’t know how to deal with it or what to do and that is the problem. We can’t just march or meet. We must have a grasp of what it will take to stop the violence in our communities. It’s is obvious that the Black community must implement solutions to solve this prob- lem.”
Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms Offering $15,000 Reward In Murder Cases
LYFE COLEMAN 5/7/1996 to 1/5/2015
JAMYLIN TURNER 12/8/1998 to 3/14/2015
EDWARD HARRIS, III 1/29/2001 to 5/31/2015
SHARON DARNS WATKINS 1/11/1957 to 6/27/2015
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday during a press conference, law enforce- ment announced they are in- creasing rewards in four homicides that took place this year. The Department of Jus- tice, Bureau of Alcohol, To- bacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) entered into a partnership earlier this year to combat the deaths attrib- uted to gun violence.
Ms. Regina Lombardo,
ATF Special Agent in Charge, Tampa Field Division and Tampa Police Chief Eric Ward are asking the commu- nity and individuals with infor- mation pertaining to these murders to come and provide the information to law enforce- ment. The press conference was held at Woodland Terrace Park, corner of N. 32nd Street and E. Diana Avenue, the loca- tion of one of the murders.
ATF and Tampa Police are focusing on four murders that took place in the first 6 months of the year. Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward
of up to $3,000 for informa- tion. However, ATF is offering an additional $15,000 in each of the four cases.
The four victims are Lyfe Coleman, Jamylin Turner, Edward Harris, III, and Mrs. Sharon Darns Watkins.
Tampa Police responded to the home of 18-year-old Lyfe Lazarus Coleman on the night of January 5th, in refer- ence to a shooting. Coleman died of the injuries sustained. His death was the first homi- cide of the year Tampa Police would investigate.
On March 14th, police in- vestigated the shooting death of Jamylin Turner. The 16- year-old was playing basket- ball at Taylor Park when he was fatally wounded.
Investigators responded to the Woodlawn Terrace Park on May 31st in reference to a shooting. Fourteen-year-old Edward Harris, III, had been fatally wounded. He was the second 14-year-old killed this year.
Richard Newton, 14, was attending a party in March
when he was shot and killed. A man was charged with his murder earlier this month..
Mrs. Sharon Darns Watkins was in her bedroom when gunshots rang out on June 27th. Mrs. Watkins was struck by gunfire and died at the scene. A wife, mother, and grandmother, Mrs. Watkins was 58-years-old.
Anyone with informa- tion can call or text 800- ATF-GUNS (800-283-4867). All calls will be kept confidential.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is also offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects in this case.
Anyone with any informa- tion regarding this case and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward from Crime Stop- pers is asked to call the anony- mous tip line at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using the new P3 Tips Mobile applica- tion, which is a free download for iPhones and Droids.
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