Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 12-2-16 Online Edition

Features
Man Charged In Murder Of Son Of Spoken Word Artist
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
The Tampa Police De- partment has made an ar- rest in a murder that occurred nearly two years ago. It was the first murder in the City of Tampa in 2015.
During the early morn- ing hours of January 5, 2015, officers responded to 3107 North Jefferson Street in reference to a shooting. Upon arrival, the officers discovered 18-year-old Lyfe Coleman on the ground in the front yard of the home. He was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead from his injuries. The shooting occurred at approximately 12:20 a.m. and the location was that of Coleman’s family members.
According to police, a relative was inside the home when she heard Coleman yell and then heard two gun- shots. When she went out- side, she discovered the teenager had been shot. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died.
During the initial inves- tigation, detectives found a visor at the scene that did not belong to the victim. The visor was sent to FDLE for DNA analysis and led police to Reginald Cortez Bow- man, IV, of Tampa. Detec- tives interviewed Bowman in March 2015, and he de- nied any involvement in the
LYFE COLEMAN 5/7/1996 to 1/5/2015
murder and said he had not had any contact with Cole- man in two years.
As the investigation pro- gressed, an anonymous tip- ster told police that Coleman was the intended victim of a robbery during the sale of a firearm.
Police were able to sub- stantiate the information when a forensic analysis of “the victim’s cell phone showed recent communica- tion regarding the possible purchase of a firearm. That communication led detec- tives back to Bowman,” police said in a media re- lease.
On Wednesday, police arrested Bowman, 21, and charged him with second- degree murder with a firearm, possession of cannabis, less than 20 grams, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bow- man is currently being held at the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.
Coleman was the son of popular Spoken Word Poet and activist, LIFE.
When contacted by the Sentinel, LIFE said, “I just learned of the arrest last night and I am still process- ing the information. I don’t know the young man, but I understand he went to high school with my son.”
Ms. Sonia Coleman,
mother of the slain teenager said, “Lyfe was my first born son and I miss him im- mensely. I want to thank the community for all their sup- port. I want to thank Detec- tive Neal Smith for his diligence in pursuing the case. I want to thank my work family for their sup- port. And I want to thank his father. I know he was very diligent in keeping up with the case.
“I don’t know how I would have made it through this without all that sup- port,” Ms. Coleman stated.
REGINALD CORTEZ BOWMAN, IV
... Charged with second
degree murder
Police Seek Help To Solve Fatal Stabbing Of Young Woman
Police are currently seek- ing information in connection with a fatal stabbing that took place Monday afternoon. The incident occurred in the 2700 block of Sammonds Road, in Plant City.
According to the Plant City Police Department, the incident was reported through 9-1-1 calls at approx- imately 1:17 p.m. When offi- cers arrived at the scene, they discovered a Hispanic woman suffering from multiple stab wounds in the upper part of her body. She died at the scene.
The victim has been iden- tified as 31-year-old Rocio Becerra, of Plant City. Wit- nesses told police that after an unknown Hispanic man stabbed Ms. Becerra, he fled the scene in her 2007 Nissan Quest Minivan. The van was later found aban- doned and was recovered by law enforcement.
The witnesses described the suspect as being in his
MS. ROCIO BECERRA 2/2/1985 --- 11/28/2016
20s to 30s, about 5’8” tall with a medium build and dark hair.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect in- volved in this case. Anyone with information and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward can call Crime Stop- pers at 1-800-873-TIPS. They can also report anonymously on line at www.crimestopper- stb.com.
Correction
An error was made in an ar- ticle that appeared in the Tues- day, November 29th edition of the Sentinel. The article was entitled “Four Tampa Teens Charged With Robbery In Lakeland.”
In the article the photo- graph of Ashli Adams ap- peared twice. The photograph of Alexis Lee should have been published.
We apologize for any incon- venience the error may have caused.
ALEXIS LEE
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016