Authorities say that two masked men attacked, robbed, and shot a Florida couple as they were walking home from a date night at a casino. The couple is thankful to be alive.
A spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office told USA TODAY on Friday that the couple was attacked at 5 a.m. on August 2 outside of their home in Riverview, Florida. The attack happened after they had spent the night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa. Two people with shooting wounds that morning were taken to the hospital but were not in danger of dying.
The police say that 36-year-old Tristin Wright and 34-year-old Marcus Jenkins have been arrested in connection with the murder. Jenkins has been charged with trying to kill someone, but both men are also being charged with robbery, gun crimes, and battery, a spokesman said. The police are also looking for a third suspect right now.
USA TODAY was trying to find the men’s lawyers if they have any. The court records don’t show any for them.
Val Delacruz, Kim Chambliss’s boyfriend, and I talked to WTVT about the attack and how they are getting better.
“Upon hearing another gunshot, my first thought was, ‘They’ve killed him.'” “I was crazy, I screamed and cried,” Chambliss told the TV station about how she felt when the thieves shot Delacruz.
They said, “We’re just normal people out having fun who love each other.” She talked about how shocking the attack was. It’s scary to think that we didn’t even know someone was following us the whole time. She told the station, “It’s scary.
According to Hillsborough County sheriff’s officers quoted in the Miami Herald, five shots were fired during the robbery.
Video footage of a Ring camera being used
WTVT reported that Chambliss said the two men circled her and Delacruz’s car and asked for money. Delacruz told the TV station, “I ran and fell through the door. The other guy came out and shot me again, this time in the left leg.”
According to WTVT, the ring camera caught the whole thing and even showed Delacruz being shot in both legs before he begged the men in masks who were standing over him. When the men’s neighbors came outside, they drove off.
The couple stayed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for a few hours. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, they left after Delacruz won $3,300 on a slot machine and paid out.
“We’re just normal people”
Police arrested Jenkins and Wright after security video showed them watching the couple at a casino in Tampa, Florida, for two hours and then following them home, according to WTVT.
They go on a date once a month, and this was the night of the attack. Chambliss told the station, “We don’t get to do it very often because we both work very hard.”
The TV station said Delacruz said he is “normally aware” of his surroundings and “would notice if someone was following” him.
“Our house has always made us feel safe.” Feel safe in the area, “Chass” said. “To have that taken away (is) to have just such an insecure feeling.”
