Cops Targeted in Shooting Spree, Clearwater Chief Says

Two Largo residents face a number of criminal charges after Clearwater Police say they opened fire on three buildings late Thursday evening. One of those buildings was an occupied police substation.

The incident took place just before 11 p.m. when shots struck two homes on Carlton Street and the police substation on North Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Those bullets, police said, were fired from a passing car.

All three structures had people inside, the agency noted. No injuries were reported.

“The suspect who fired the weapon is a documented gang member whose group has made recent threats toward the Clearwater Police Department and its officers,” the email said. “It is thought that the police substation, and not the nearby houses, was the intended target.”

Chief Dan Slaughter said his agency and the city “dodged a bullet and no residents, children or officers were hurt.”

The behavior, Slaughter said, “will not be tolerated. A swift, resolute response to this evil behavior will be our standard response.”

The shooting comes at a time when tensions between law enforcement and people across the country are especially high in the wake of several high-profile police-related shootings. A police officer in Shreveport, La., was killed earlier this week.

Last month, police charged a teenager for allegedly attempting to blow up a police officer’s house Brevard County, Florida. In that case, the Rockledge Police Officer was the target, officials said at the time.

Blake Harris, 22, and Moriah Carpenter, 18, were both charged in Thursday night’s Clearwater shooting. Police say Harris faces three counts of shooting into an occupied structure, being a felon in possession of a firearm and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony charges. Carpenter is accused of driving the car. She is charged with three counts of shooting into an occupied structure.

Both were taken to the Pinellas County Jail.

Police say they recovered a handgun “consistent with the weapon used in the incident” from Harris and Carpenter’s 8412 125th Place N. home. It is unclear how many bullets were fired.

Photos of Blake Harris and Moriah Carpenter courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department