Page 42 - Florida Sentinel 11-4-22

Crime
Man Confesses
Man Shoots Car With 5-Year-Old Child Inside
To Killing Elderly
Family Member
Police are investigating a shooting incident that took place late Wednesday evening. The incident took place at the intersection of N. Oregon Ave. and W. Flora St., just before 8:00 p. m.
According to the Tampa Police Department, it was re- ported that the driver of a black, early 2000s model VW Jetta firing a gun and hitting a red Toyota Camry.
Early investigation sug- gests that after multiple ver- bal altercations between the two drivers, the driver of the red Toyota Camry exited his vehicle.
At that time, the driver of the Jetta produced a gun, fired it and struck the Camry’s back window. Inside the Camry was a 5-year-old boy. The child was not in- jured.
Last week, a 49-year-old man was taken into custody after he allegedly shot and killed an elderly relative. He contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and reportedly confessed to the crime.
According to the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Of- fice, on October 24, 2022, at 10:15 p. m. HCSO received a telephone call from a man who identified himself as Robert Curtis Ashcraft.
Ashcraft reportedly told a dispatcher that he had shot a relative and wanted to turn himself in to police.
Ashcraft told the dis- patcher that he was unarmed on the front porch waiting for deputies to arrive. The dispatcher remained on the phone with the suspect until deputies reached the loca- tion in Gibsonton.
According to police, deputies responded to the 9000 block of Wiggins Road, and upon their arrival, they found the victim lying on the bed with a gunshot wound to her head.
Police have not released the age of the victim, her re- lationship to Ashcraft, or
N. Oregon Ave. and W. Flora St.
ROBERT CURTIS ASHCRAFT
why he ended the life of his relative.
Hillsborough County
Sheriff Chad Chronister
said, “We are grateful our dispatcher was able to keep the suspect calm, and on the phone until our deputies ar- rived to make an arrest.
“This is a horrible situa- tion, and I’m saddened by this senseless tragedy.”
Ashcraft was taken into custody without incident and charged with premeditated first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He is currently being held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.
The driver of the Jetta was described as a 25 to 30-year- old Hispanic or Black male with a light complexion and a moustache, who was wearing a baseball cap.
The Jetta was last seen going westbound from the in- tersection.
Shell casings were found at the intersection and are
currently being examined for evidence.
Anyone who may have in- formation relating to this in- cident should contact Tampa Police by calling (813) 231- 6130, downloading the Tam- paPD app, or sending a tip through TIP411.
The investigation remains active and is continuing.
Gunshot Victim Involved In Confrontation Dies
An unidentified man died last Thursday night after being shot while involved in a confrontation with another man.
The case has been re- ferred to the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Of- fice for review.
According to the Tampa Police Department, shortly before 11:30 p. m., on Octo- ber 27th, officers were dis- patched to the 8500 block of N. Hamner Ave., in reference to gunshots being fired. Officers arrived to find an adult Hispanic man with a gunshot to the upper body.
Although officers began rendering first aid immedi- ately, the man died at the scene.
During the investigation, police learned that a Black man in his mid-20s, who was the shooter, remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation. It has been determined this was not a random act.
The preliminary investi-
8500 block of N. Hamner Ave.
gation suggests the Black man was sitting in his friend’s driveway in his vehicle when the Hispanic man parked his vehicle in the street in front of him. The Black man told police that the Hispanic man then exited his vehicle and put a handgun in his waist- band, approached the Black man’s driver side door, and began knocking on the win- dow.
The Black man put down his window and the Hispanic male yelled something
unknown before raising the gun toward him. The Black man said he thought the Hispanic man was going to shoot him, so he grabbed his gun and fired, hitting the Hispanic man.
The investigators have de- termined the gun the His- panic man produced was a fake gun.
This remains an active in- vestigation, with appropriate charges under review in part- nership with the State Attor- ney’s Office.
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