A 22-year-old Tampa man will stay in jail without bail until at least Thursday after a shooting in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood left two people dead — including a 14-year-old boy and 20-year-old man — and 16 others injured early Sunday morning.
A judge Monday ordered Tyrell Stephen Phillips to be held without bail until a hearing Thursday at 2:30 p.m. He faces second-degree murder charges and there may be other arrests, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said Sunday.
Phillips had his initial court appearance Monday but has not yet entered a plea. Court records did not yet list an attorney to speak for him.
Tampa police say the shooting during the Halloween weekend occurred in the 1600 block of East Seventh Avenue just before 3 a.m.
During a news conference Sunday afternoon, Bercaw said tips provided by the community led to the arrest of 22-year-old Tyrell Stephen Phillips.
"I was asking for tips, we received a plethora of tips that came through," Bercaw said.
He said the arrest was "possible because of the community coming forward and assisting us."
Bercaw said the police department received several people reached out through the Tip 411 hotline and reviewed camera footage from the scene.
Tampa police say the shooting during the Halloween weekend occurred in the 1600 block of East Seventh Avenue just before 3 a.m., according to a news release.
Police say a dispute between Phillips and another person led to the gunfire, and Bercaw said it was unclear whether the dispute began inside a bar or in the street.
"It was an isolated dispute between two people that turned into gun violence when it shouldn't have done that," Bercaw said.
Bercaw confirmed one of the two guns used in the shooting was stolen.
"This [Sunday] morning, it's tragic what happened here," Bercaw said during a Sunday morning news conference shortly after the shootings. "The families have to wake up and see on the news what happened here tonight. We have to think about the families involved and the victims that were involved. And our hearts go out to them.
"Our thoughts are with the victims impacted by this senseless act and our detectives are committed to holding those involved accountable."
Bercaw said none of the 16 injured suffered life-threatening injuries, but one sustained serious injuries. Fifteen were shot. Five people remained hospitalized Sunday evening.
"This is extremely tragic," Bercaw said. "But the families all told me that they're so appreciative of the work of the police, and that they want justice.
"And they're appreciative of the community coming forward and providing the tips that helped us place those charges today."
One man died at the scene, according to a news release, and another died at a local hospital.
Bercaw did not release the names of those killed, but said a 14-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man were killed.
Emmitt Wilson said his 14-year-old son, Elijah, was one of the fatalities. Wilson came to the scene Sunday after getting 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 said. “I hope the investigators do their job and find out who killed my son.”
In a statement, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor called the shooting a "senseless loss of life."
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? The Tampa Police Department had 50 officers deployed in the area at the time, so this is not a law enforcement issue. Bad decisions made in… https://t.co/BNdmXgqs43
— Jane Castor (@JaneCastor) October 29, 2023
During the Sunday afternoon news conference, Castor touted Tampa as "one of the safest cities in the nation" and that Ybor City "is a very safe area within the city of Tampa."
"As I said before, the city of Tampa is one of the safest our size in the nation," Castor said. "Ybor City is one of our historic landmarks. It's known for culture, education, great restaurants, entertainment. I don't know that the entertainment venues are an issue in that particular area. I know that a lot of the business owners have stepped forward to do what they can to make Ybor safer. It is just these particular incidents.
"If you look at the overall crime rate, in Ybor City, it is very, very low. It's just unfortunate that these late-night, early-morning incidents are occurring, where you have disputes that in the past may have been settled in a verbal argument and at the very worst a physical fight. And now people aren't hesitating to pull out guns and shoot, and not only kill innocent individuals but hurt bystanders as well."
Hillsborough State Attorney Susan Lopez said her office will work with the Tampa Police Department to "hold wrongdoers accountable."
"We will assist in the investigation and stand ready to vigorously prosecute anyone who resorts to senseless gun violence and harms our community," Lopez said. "I want to thank the police and the brave community members who acted so quickly to save lives this morning."
Bercaw said around 50 officers were in Ybor at the time of the shooting, which occurred in the street as bars were preparing to close at 3 a.m. and "hundreds" were in the streets.
Bercaw also said several videos of the incident have surfaced on social media.
Video posted online shows people, many in Halloween costumes, drinking and talking on the street when about a dozen shots ring out followed seconds later by about eight more, creating a stampede. Some people topple over metal tables and take cover behind them. Video from the aftermath shows police officers treating several people lying wounded on the ground.
Bercaw asked anyone who has video to call the Tampa Police Department non-emergency line at 813-231-6130.
"What happened is completely unacceptable," Bercaw said Sunday afternoon. "And the Tampa Police Department is not going to tolerate it. We make arrests quickly. We have a sense of urgency. If you're going to be out there with a gun, you're going to pay for it.
"You have not only the Tampa Police Department, but you have all of our stakeholders, federal, state and local that are out here that are going to hold all of those accountable for any senseless act of violence."
Two young women who came to the scene Sunday morning said they decided not to go to Ybor City the night before because of the crowds.
“We know how Ybor gets,” said Minna Cohen, a 23-year-old recent University of Tampa graduate. “A lot of crime happens here often. You sometimes know not to go to certain places.”
Her friend, 21-year-old Carolina Londoner, said when the bars all close in the early morning hours the streets are packed and unruly.
“When everyone comes together it gets messy, and it’s that way all night," she said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130, send a tip via TIP411, or Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
