New surveillance video released in Tampa killings
The police department is working on a serial killer theory.
Tampa Police released new surveillance footage Wednesday of a person they are now calling a suspect in the four Seminole Heights killings.
The surveillance video, which was recorded moments before the Nov. 14 murder of 60-year-old Ronald Felton, shows an individual with the same “gait and walk” as the person shown in footage taken before the Oct. 9 murder of Benjamin Mitchell.
Police urged residents to come forward with any information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect and increased the reward to $91,000.
“I don’t need speculation. I don’t need profiles,” interim Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said at a press conference. “We need names.”
Dugan also pointed out the suspect’s casual walk and the way he flipped his phone in both surveillance videos.
“It’s clear to me that this person is able to flip a switch and murder someone,” Dugan said.
Tampa police release video of person of interest in murder
Police continue to search for suspect or suspect in Tampa murders.
The figure on both videos matched witness descriptions of a black male, 6 feet to 6-foot-2, with a thin build and light complexion.
Police said the suspect cannot yet be considered a serial killer, but are convinced the same person has committed at least two of the murders.
“If you look at both videos from October 9 and from yesterday it appears to be the same person,” Dugan said. “I don’t believe in coincidence that the same person was around the same time that two people were murdered.”
Dugan added that two dozen detectives continue to go through hours of surveillance footage collected from the Seminole Heights neighborhood. Police had received about 450 tips from residents by Tuesday, bringing the total to more than 2,300.
“Someone has to know who this individual is,” Dugan said. “We need someone who is thoughtful, cares, and has the heart and the fortitude and the bravery to step forward and tell us who this person is and give us the identity.”
Tampa residents have been on alert since early October, when Mitchell was shot to death. Two days later, 32-year-old Monica Hoffa was gunned down. On Oct. 19, Anthony Naiboa, 20, was shot after taking the wrong bus home from his new job.
Community on edge after another fatal shooting in Tampa
The fatal shooting of a 60-year-old man was first thought to be an isolated incident, but police now believe it's the same person responsible for three other murders in the same neighborhood back in mid-October.
All of the victims were alone, and had gotten off a bus before they were killed.
"This is personal. This has got to stop," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said Tuesday. "We need to catch this killer before we have to notify one more family that one of their loved ones is dead."
Fox News' Travis Fedschun and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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