Page 15 - 7-31-15 Friday's Edition Updated

Features
Tampa Native Gets Master’s Degree
On 11th Anniversary Of His Death:
Warren Mitchell’s Murder Remains Unsolved
During the early morning hours of August 1, 2004, War- ren Mitchell, Sr. was driv- ing home after spending a night out on the town.
When Mitchell got to the corner of Columbus Drive and MacDill Avenue, shots were fired from a vehicle in his di- rection.
Although Mitchell had been mortally wounded, he continued driving east on Columbus Drive until he suc- cumbed to his injuries. When police and other emergency personnel arrived on the scene, he was pronounced dead.
Mitchell’s mother, Wanda Conaway, was left to raise his son, Warren Jr., and now at the age of 15, he’s playing foot- ball and reminding his grand- mother of his father every day because they look so much alike.
“I know it’s been almost 11 years, but that doesn’t mean the pain goes away.
“I will continue to pray and hold on to hope that one day the person who killed my son is in prison. It’s not fair that he never got the chance to see his son grow up, and become a fine young man.”
Ms. Conaway said she knows there are other mothers and fathers out there who are still waiting for justice and she wishes them all well.
“We are a society of people
WARREN MITCHELL, SR.
who the media tends to forget after time has passed and in some cases, law enforcement pushes cold cases aside to work on cases with top prior- ity.
“I understand that, but there’s no bigger priority in my life than finding out who killed Warren, and going to court to hear the judge sentence them. That’s what all of us are waiting for.”
Ms. Conaway asks that anyone who knows what hap- pened to Warren to please call the Tampa Police Depart- ment’s Homicide Division.
“You don’t have to identify yourself. All you have to do is give the police something to work with.
“Through prayers and the future of Warren, Jr., we’ve moved on, but the story won’t be over until Warren, Sr.’s killer has been arrested.”
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Growing up in public hous- ing can be tough for some kids. For Patrick Sneed, living in College Hill Public Housing during the mid-1980s proved to be too much for his mother.
“We moved into the area of 15th and Fowler because my mother didn’t want us growing up in an environment with drugs and a lot of other nega- tive things going on.
“When we lived in College Hill, I saw myself becoming a professional baseball player and played with Belmont Heights Little League where all the legends of that program in- spired me.”
Sneed went on to attend King High School, and this time the lure and excitement of hanging out on the streets was too much for him to resist.
“That was in 1992. I didn’t even graduate. I was working and had an opportunity in 1996 to work with kids at the North Tampa Boys and Girls Club. Thanks to Herman Ed- wards and Tony Dungy, I also had an opportunity to work for the Tampa Bay Buc- caneers.
“It was in 1998 when I de- cided it was time to get my act
Patrick Sneed receives his master’s degree from St. Leo Uni- versity.
together. I played semi-profes- sional football for a year, and later I worked in retail sales. In 2001, I enrolled at Brewster and after several challenges, I graduated in 2008 with a high school diploma.”
It was also during this time Sneed was first introduced to the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association.
“Ms. Lena Young-Green told me I needed to get a col- lege degree if I wanted to move up in the civic association. In 2009, I enrolled a Hillsbor- ough Community College and studied liberal arts. I later transferred to Barry University and graduated with a B.A. de- gree in public administration.
“Later, I enrolled into the Master’s program at St. Leo University and graduated cum
lade in 2014 with a Master’s degree in Business Adminis- tration.”
Sneed said his journey has taught him that making the de- cision to return to school was the right thing to do, and now he’s in a position to inspire young people to not give up.
“Because of the dynamics of my family, I became independ- ent at a young age.
“My experiences made me a stronger person, and I’m thankful for all the people who cared enough to steer me in the right direction.”
Sneed is involved in a men- toring program at HCC, a coor- dinator with Collegiate 100 and the Hope Scholarship Pro- gram, and is the Executive Di- rector of the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association.
FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-B