Community takes stand against Seminole Heights murderer
TAMPA, Fla. - After recent killings in Southeast Seminole Heights, police want people there to be attentive and cautious if they are out at night.
But residents there are also using the crimes as a way to come together.
Community members engaged in a walk that started at the site where Monica Hoffa's body was found then continued to the locations where Benjamin Mitchell and Anthony Naiboa were both shot and killed.
Since the murders have all been linked, Tampa police are upping patrols in cars and on foot.
They’re even going door to door to ensure residents have bulbs for any and all outdoor lights. What's also still a mystery is the identity of the man caught on surveillance video after the first shooting.
Detectives are holding off on calling him a suspect, but rather someone they just want to talk to and need the public’s help in identifying.
Tampa's mayor, Bob Buckhorn says this threat is something the entire city is taking seriously.
"We're going to stay out here and saturate this neighborhood when he makes a mistake we're going to be there," said Buckhorn.
HART has also shut down bus stops in the area of the shootings on 15th Street between Hillsborough Avenue and MLK.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) are offering a combined reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the unknown suspect(s) involved in three murders in Seminole Heights.
Anyone with any information regarding the identity of the suspect(s) and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477 (TIPS), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using the P3 Tips Mobile application. Crime Stoppers must be contacted first in order to be eligible for a cash reward.