TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Police Department Chief Mary O'Connor addressed recent violent crime in the community after two deadly shootings happened just hours apart on Monday afternoon.
“These were not random incidents, and I’m here to say today that this cannot continue," she said.
The first shooting reportedly happened around 1:43 p.m. Monday near East Columbus Drive and North Avenida Republica de Cuba (14th Street) in the city's V.M. Ybor neighborhood. During a news conference on Tuesday, O'Connor said a 21-year-old was dead and a 15-year-old was hospitalized with a gunshot wound.
The police chief said the shooting, in which a 24-year-old and a 15-year-old were armed, appeared to be an escalation of a group argument.
Officers then responded around 3:30 p.m. to the area of North 35th and East Chelsea streets on a report of a second shooting, the department said in a statement. A man was taken to an area hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The distance between the two is about 2.5 miles apart, though it remains unknown whether the two shootings are related.
O'Connor said on Tuesday that the guns in these incidents have been recovered and detectives are following up on "very promising leads."
"We, as a community, have to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them to begin with," she said.
The police chief pleaded with the community to report any illegal gun use to law enforcement. According to O'Connor, the department has made six arrests for felons in possession of firearm cases just since the beginning of the month. Police have also reported 78 guns stolen from unlocked vehicles since the start of the year, she added.
"We don’t want anymore legally owned guns to end up into the hands of someone with criminal intent to use that gun in a malicious manner," O'Connor said. "I think we all have to agree that we’ve all talked about it enough and it’s time for action."
This echoed the message that the police chief gave on Monday during a news conference at the first shooting location.
"If someone sees something that's suspicious, we need the community to understand that Tampa PD needs to come out and help — Tampa PD can't do this on their own," she said Monday alongside state Rep. Dianne Hart (D-Tampa). "...We are concerned about the violence in this community."
"Everybody needs to come together to prevent these future shootings," O'Connor added.
Two community members who attended the press conference on Tuesday were Patricia Brown and Johnny Johnson. They both have lost children to gun violence.
Brown said the feeling of losing a loved one to such a careless crime is heartbreaking.
"It’s pain that’s going to last with you for the rest of your life," Brown said.
Johnson said he knows multiple families are left in a lot of pain after Monday's gun violence.
"Something no parent wants to address," Johnson said.