Page 41 - Florida Sentinel 10-28-22

Crime
Deputies Search For Second Suspect In Shooting Outside Of Brandon Mall
Man Charged With Clearwater Murder; Another Sought
Hillsborough County detectives are investigating a possible shooting that took place outside Brandon Mall. The incident took place on October 24, around 2:15 p.m.
According to police, detectives are searching for a second sus- pect. On Monday, deputies re- sponded to Westfield Brandon Mall after getting several calls about shots fired. Upon arrival, deputies located a man outside the east side of Dillard’s with a gunshot wound to one of his legs. The victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital in stable condi- tion.
The preliminary information given to detectives revealed that the victim parked his vehicle out- side the Dillard's, and went into the Westfield Brandon Mall to visit a jewelry store. After leaving the mall and on his way to his car, two suspects approached the vic- tim and pointed a gun at him.
While one suspect held the gun, the second attempted to take a gold chain, valued at tens of thou- sands of dollars, off the victim. There was an altercation, and the victim was able to hold on to his chain.
As the suspects took off run- ning, one shot back at the victim, striking him in the leg. The victim was able to retrieve a firearm from his vehicle, and shot at the fleeing suspects.
Later in the afternoon, a man was dropped off at the Advent Health at 3100.E Fletcher Ave.,
in Tampa, with a gunshot wound to the stomach. That man is be- lieved to be one of the suspects in the earlier shooting at Westfield Brandon Mall. Both the victim and the wounded suspect are cur- rently receiving treatment for their injuries.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said, "The vi- olence seen this afternoon in such a public place is deplorable. We believe this to be a targeted attack with the intent of robbing the victim, and are grateful no one else was hurt in the area."
The Westfield Brandon Mall was never placed on lockdown, and this was not an active shooter situation. Detectives are working to determine if the victim and the suspects knew each other.
If anyone has any information on the identity or whereabouts of the second suspect, call the Hills- borough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200.
Detectives with the Clearwa- ter Police Department have charged one man with murder and are seeking a second sus- pect.
Jermaine Adrian Bennett, 26, was charged with first-de- gree murder in the Friday morn- ing homicide on Mandalay Avenue that left Jeffrey Chap- man dead.
Bennett was booked in to the Pasco County Jail after being ar- rested at his workplace Friday with the assistance of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.
He will be moved to the Pinel- las County Jail at a later date. Detectives were able to gather evidence through investigative tools to identify the car - a 2014 Nissan Altima used in the attack on Chapman. That car was reg- istered to Bennett, and he ad- mitted being in Clearwater Beach at the time of the murder.
He further admitted randomly attacking the victim with a tire
JERMAINE BENNETT
iron and blamed the "ills of soci- ety" for the crime. He expressed no remorse when interviewed by detectives.
The search continues for a sec- ond suspect involved in the at- tack.
Anyone with information on his identity or the crime should call Clearwater Police at (727) 562-4242.
Man Gets 5 Years For Pointing Gun At Driver
U. S. District Judge Steven Merryday sentenced Karey Tyrone Taylor, II to 5 years and 11 months in federal prison for being a felon in pos- session of a firearm. The court also ordered Taylor to forfeit a firearm and magazine that were used in the offense.
Taylor pleaded guilty on May 13, 2022.
According to court docu- ments, on January 2, 2021, Taylor brandished a firearm at a victim while she was driv- ing on East Fowler Avenue in Tampa. The victim pulled into a nearby carwash, and Taylor confronted her. Standing face- to-face, Taylor told the victim that if he had known or seen that she was “all that,” then he would not have pulled a gun on her. The victim then told employees at the car wash what had happened, and an employee called the police.
Officers from the Tampa Po- lice Department responded and interviewed the victim. The officers also located an SUV matching the description of Taylor’s vehicle. They found
KAREY TAYLOR, II
Taylor in the driver’s seat and detained him. While searching the vehicle, the officers found a black Taurus .45 caliber handgun with one round of ammunition in the chamber and 14 rounds in the maga- zine. A DNA sample later ob- tained from Taylor for comparison indicated that Taylor’s DNA matched DNA found on the handgun.
Taylor had previously been convicted of a felony offense, including possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and distribution of controlled substances
UNCLE SANDY
The secret of getting ahead. 11, 26, 32, 53, 9, 23, is getting started, 29, 34, 55, 3, 61, 8.
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