Suspect arrested in Tampa Halloween mass shooting

A man has been arrested in Tampa, Florida, concerning a mass shooting that unfolded during the Halloween festivities early Sunday. According to the police, two individuals were killed and 18 were injured in the incident.

Just before 3 a.m. in the Ybor City area, at least two shooters opened fire, informed Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw during a press conference at the scene.

Later on Sunday, he revealed that detectives arrested Tyrell Stephen Phillips, 22, in connection with the shooting. Phillips has been charged with second-degree murder with a firearm.

Man arrested for mass shooting during Halloween festivities in Tampa

“My heart goes out to the families,” shared Bercaw in an online news briefing. He labeled the gun violence as “extremely tragic” and assured that the police would not tolerate it.

Initially, the authorities mentioned that one suspect was in custody and at least one other was being sought, although Bercaw did not specify on Sunday afternoon whether police were still looking for someone else after Phillips’ arrest.

“We make arrests quickly,” Bercaw mentioned in the briefing. “We have a sense of urgency and if you are going to be out there with a gun, you are going to pay for it.”

It’s not immediately known if Phillips had an attorney, and he remained jailed pending an initial court appearance on Monday, as per officials and local reports.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, a former city police chief, expressed her lament that Tampa was the center of national attention for “yet another shooting in our country.”

“We’ve got to say, as a country, that enough is enough,” she stated.

The early morning gunfire occurred in an area filled with several bars and clubs that was once the hub of Tampa’s cigar industry. In more recent times, the area has been known for its vibrant nightlife, and Tampa police spokeswoman Jonee Lewis mentioned that “hundreds” of people were on the streets at the time of Sunday’s shootings since numerous nightspots had just closed.

The police had not released the names of the deceased, but Emmitt Wilson stated his 14-year-old son, Elijah, was one of the fatalities. Wilson arrived at the scene on Sunday after receiving a call that his son was a victim.

“It’s madness to me. I don’t even feel like I’m here right now,” Wilson expressed. “I hope the investigators do their job.”

A video posted online displays people, many in Halloween costumes, drinking and chatting on the street when about a dozen shots are heard, followed seconds later by about eight more. A stampede ensued, with some individuals knocking over metal tables and taking cover behind them. Subsequent videos show police officers treating several people lying wounded on the ground.

“It was a disturbance or a fight between two groups. And in this fight between two groups, we had hundreds of innocent people involved that were in the way,” Bercaw explained.

He did not provide the details of the injuries suffered by the victims taken to area hospitals. Authorities later mentioned that most of those hurt were treated and released.

The reason for the dispute between the two groups is still under investigation by the police, he added.

Castor attributed Sunday’s shootings to easy access to guns.

“Yet again, a senseless loss of life by those choosing to settle a dispute with firearms. Lives lost and others forever changed. To what end?” Castor questioned. “The Tampa Police Department had 50 officers deployed in the area at the time, so this is not a law enforcement issue.”

With information from CBS News