Escalating Gun Violence Prompts Law Enforcement To Get Creative

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — "Shots heard." It's become a familiar refrain over the cruiser radios of Tampa police officers and Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies.

The number of fatal and non-fatal shootings in the city of Tampa and unincorporated Hillsborough County has skyrocketed over the past seven months, prompting both law enforcement agencies to adopt new strategies to combat gun violence.

It's not just a Hillsborough County problem. More than 100 Americans are killed with guns every day in the United States, and more than 230 are shot and injured daily. Each year, an average of 14,000 people are shot and killed.

With those alarming statistics as incentive, last week Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced the formation of a specialized team of detectives and deputies assigned to investigate just the growing number of non-fatal shootings taking place in Hillsborough County.

Non-fatal shootings in Hillsborough County increased from 44 cases in 2019 to 72 cases in 2020. If the current trend continues, the county will top that number this year. As of July 1, there have been 34 non-fatal shootings in unincorporated Hillsborough County, Chronister said.

"Gun violence in any community should never be acceptable," Chronister said. "Recognizing the increasing national and local trends, we are initiating a proactive approach to combat and reduce gun violence in our community through the formation of the GRIT squad."

The mission of the newly-formed Gunfire Response Investigations Team is to take a centralized approach to investigating non-fatal shootings while the sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Section will continue leading efforts to investigate fatal shootings.

GRIT consists of four detectives, four deputies and a supervising sergeant. The team will investigate all non-fatal shootings, working closely with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network to analyze ballistic information and find links to guns used in other crimes.

By centralizing the team of deputies, Chronister believes the sheriff's office will be able to find connections between shootings and other crimes, including drug-related violence, more quickly.

Since the formation of GRIT on June 28, Chronister said the team is already making an impact.

"In one case where a victim was shot after an argument with an unknown person at a gas station, our GRIT squad only needed four hours to identify the shooter and get an arrest warrant," Chronister said.

A man and woman survived after being shot at 3:05 a.m. July 1 at the Mobil gas station at 13164 N. Florida Ave. Surveillance video helped detectives quickly identify the shooter and make an arrest.

In another case on June 28, two men were purchasing drugs at a home in the 7000 block of Tidewater Trail and got into an argument, culminating in one man shooting the other in the neck and back as he drove away. Despite the seriousness of his injuries the man survived.

Within 24 hours, detectives identified Carlos Diaz, 39, as the shooter and took him into custody.

"Through the partnership we have with our state and federal prosecutors, we will ensure that these criminals are no longer able to inflict fear and violence on our streets, in our neighborhoods, and in the community we all share," Chronister said. "I am deeply committed to doing everything possible to reduce and eliminate violent crime, and I believe this new centralized and proactive approach will curb gun violence and save lives."

Meanwhile, the Tampa Police Department is combining a public awareness campaign to reduce gun violence with high-tech ballistics analysis to catch criminals.

In 2020, Tampa police investigated 36 gun-related homicides. This year, police have already investigated 369 incidents involving guns, including 23 homicides and 230 non-fatal shootings, according to Police Chief Brian Dugan.

The drastic uptick in gun violence has prompted Tampa families to form Rise Up for Peace to raise awareness about the devastating impact of gun violence on families and the community. Members have been hosting monthly marches since January, with members of the Tampa Police Department walking alongside them.

"When I talk about these numbers, we have to remember those are names, those are people, those are faces," Dugan said during a news conference in June. "These are not just statistics."

"There's been too many senseless murders in Tampa," said Assistant Police Chief Ruben Delgado. "We're just as frustrated as the community. The reality is we still have not brought all of the killers to justice. That's the frustrating thing. We need the community to come together and do the right thing. We have to come together as a city to solve these crimes."

"Families are hurting, and we can't seem to get away from this revolving door of senseless killing," said Rise Up for Peace member Leon Bland. “If you care about your sons and your daughters, if you care about people in general, if you care about making this world a better place, if you care about making Tampa a better place, then do something about it."

Both the police chief and sheriff noted that many of the crimes involve guns that are stolen from vehicles, both locked and unlocked.

In 2020, 290 guns were stolen from vehicles in unincorporated Hillsborough County. Already in 2021, there have been 170 guns stolen, according to the sheriff.

"These are crimes of opportunity that have significant consequences, as these criminals are using your firearms to commit violent crimes in our community," Chronister said.

Dugan said 98 guns have been stolen from vehicles within the city limits this year.

Neither Dugan and Chronister could pinpoint the reason for the increase in gun violence, but both said the accessibility of guns is certainly a contributing factor.

“I really can’t tell you why this spike is up. Are there more guns on the street because people weren’t out and about last year? Or maybe they were stolen from cars,” said Dugan. “It’s really hard to attribute, but it’s deeply concerning when you look at these numbers.”

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