Page 38 - Florida Sentinel 3-25-22

Crime
The basketball courts at Robles Pond Public Housing Complex, near the corner of E. Lake Avenue and N. Avon Av- enue, is where the child was shot Tuesday evening.
9-Year-Old Girl Shot In The Back; Teenager Jailed
Pastor Drowns Trying To Retrieve His Capsized Boat
What began as an argu- ment between two boys ended in gunfire. The victim of the shooting was a 9-year- old girl.
According to the Tampa Police Department, shortly after 7 p.m., two boys were on the basketball courts at Rob- les Pond Public Housing Complex, near E. Lake Av- enue and N. Avon Avenue. At some point the boys became engaged in an argument.
At some point during the altercation, one of the boys left the basketball court, re- trieved a gun from his home, and returned.
When the teenager re- turned, witnesses told police, he fired the gun in the direc- tion of the basketball courts. A 9-year-old girl was struck in the lower back by one of the bullets.
She was transported to a local hospital and admitted. The most recent update re- leased by police was that she was in stable condition.
The teenager who report- edly fired the shots was taken into custody. Police have not released any additional infor- mation about the shooting.
The investigation is con- tinuing.
A St. Petersburg minister drowned Friday in Lake Seminole. He was attempting to retrieve his boat that had capsized earlier in the day.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to Lake Seminole, 10015 Park Boule- vard, shortly after 2 p.m., Friday in reference to a dis- abled vessel. The boat was taking on water and two peo- ple were aboard.
Officials rescued Dr. Shawn E. E. Thomas, 39, of St. Petersburg and Ms. Alexandra Dumervil, 37, without incident.
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., deputies returned to Lake Seminole after receiving sev- eral calls in reference to a man going underwater after his boat capsized.
Police said Dr. Thomas’ body was located shortly be- fore 10 p.m., Friday. His body was found about 10 yards from where he was last seen.
Police said it does not ap- pear drugs or alcohol were factors in the incident. Dr. Thomas was not wearing a life vest.
The Pinellas County Sher- iff’s Office was assisted by the Flight Unit, Dive Team, Marine Unit Investigative Operations Bureau, Semi- nole Fire Rescue, and other units within the Sheriff’s Of- fice.
During their investiga- tion, detectives learned that once Dr. Thomas was brought ashore earlier in the day, he called a friend, 74- year-old Joe Wright, to as- sist him in recovering his boat from the water.
Wright was able to uti- lize his boat to assist Dr. Thomas in retrieving his boat.
Once Dr. Thomas was on board his boat, the boat capsized and he was seen slipping into the water.
DR. SHAWN THOMAS Galilee Missionary Baptist Church
Wright attempted to res- cue Dr. Thomas out of the water, but was unable to bring him on board the boat. Wright lost sight of Dr. Thomas and Dr. Thomas was never observed resurfac- ing.
The investigation is con- tinuing.
A native of St. Petersburg, Dr. Thomas was installed as the pastor of Galilee Mis-
sionary Baptist Church in January 2022.
Dr. Thomas was an ad- junct professor of world reli- gion at St. Petersburg College and serves the State of Florida as a house speaker appointee on the Council for the Social Status of Black Men and Boys. And if that weren’t enough, he’s also a doctorate mentor at United Theological Seminary.
Dr. Thomas received a master’s degree in divinity from Morehouse School of Religion, in Atlanta, and a doctorate in ministry from the United Theological Sem- inary in Dayton, Ohio. He also completed one unit of clinical pastoral education to help develop his abilities to assist individuals holistically.
Dr. Thomas is the au- thor of “3 Square Meals; 28 Days to Renewal” and co-authored “3 Square Meals for College Stu- dents” with his daughter, Kaziyah.
UNCLE SANDY
You may find the worst enemy, 6, 14, 27, 39, 45, 50, or best friend in yourself, 9, 21, 34, 49, 57, 61.
East Tampa Shooting Leaves 1 Dead; 2 Injured
Police are investigating a deadly shoot- ing that has left 1 person dead and two others injured. It took place around 1 a.m., Saturday.
According to the Tampa
The fatal shooting took place in the 3600 Police Depart- block of N. 28th Street early Saturday morn-
ment, officers ing.
were dis-
patched to the 3600 block of N. 28th Street in reference to a shooting. When they ar- rived, they discovered three people had been injured by gunfire.
One of the victims died at the scene and the other two were transported to a local hospital. No additional infor-
mation was available at press time.
The investigation is con- tinuing.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873- TIPS; or online at www.crimestopperstb.com.
FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 21-A