TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa police arrested a 20-year-old who they say shot and killed a man last week in the parking lot of a Suncoast Credit Union location.
Jeremiah Harris Jr. faces charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm, according to a Tampa Police Department news release. He, too, is accused of armed robbery in a separate case that happened on Feb. 21 at the credit union.
Officers responded around 6 a.m. to the Suncoast Credit Union location at 1920 E. Hillsborough Ave. on a report of someone shot in the building's drive-through, the department said. The man, said to be in his early 50s, died from his injuries at the hospital.
Police say physical and video evidence collected from the area helped develop leads to connect Harris with the crime; witnesses also told investigators he often wore clothes and carried items similar to what was seen on surveillance footage.
Harris was arrested at the Meridian Pointe apartment community on East Hillsborough Avenue after fingerprints matched those collected at the credit union, according to police.
"The dedicated work of our officers and skilled investigations of our detectives and fingerprint specialists undoubtedly led to a swift arrest in this case," Interim Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. "While this dangerous criminal cannot harm another member of our community, our thoughts remain with the victim's family.
"We hope this arrest brings a small sense of comfort in their time of mourning."
Tampa police say Harris pointed a gun at a man just 11 days earlier in mid-February at the same location and said, "If you don't give it to me, I'll kill you." The man was not injured in that incident, the department added.