Police arrest Florida man accused of capturing at homeless household sleeping in automobile

Police arrested a Florida man accused of capturing a household sleeping of their automobile earlier this week, leaving a pregnant lady injured, the Tampa Police Division introduced Saturday.

Police arrested Christopher Stamat Jr., 21, Saturday in reference to the Oct. 5 capturing, during which he allegedly shot at a homeless household of 5 sleeping of their automobile at round 4:30 a.m. Stamat allegedly shot the mom within the head, leaving her with non-life threatening accidents, in accordance with police.

Stamat faces six felony expenses for the incident, together with 4 counts of aggravated assault with a lethal weapon, one rely of second diploma tried homicide and one rely of capturing right into a automobile, police mentioned, including that he’s being held with out bond.

Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor mentioned in a information convention on Sunday morning that police arrested Stamat earlier within the day on Saturday for felony marijuana possession. After making bond for that arrest, Stamat was launched, O’Connor mentioned. Police arrested him once more later that afternoon after making the case for the capturing cost, O’Connor added.

“Our neighborhood as a complete can sleep simpler tonight understanding the suspect linked to this monstrous, random act of violence is not free to prey on harmless individuals,” O’Connor mentioned in a press release following the arrest.

The capturing allegedly occurred in a parking zone throughout from the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complicated within the Outdated West Tampa neighborhood, the place the household was sleeping of their automobile.

The daddy, who police mentioned is in his 30s, noticed one other automobile pull up and allegedly heard gunshots, police mentioned, including that he yelled for his spouse, who’s in her 20s, and their three youngsters to get all the way down to keep away from the bullets.

The suspect allegedly fired greater than a dozen pictures earlier than fleeing.

The girl, who’s pregnant, was struck within the head and transported to a neighborhood hospital for non-life-threatening accidents, police mentioned.

The youngsters — a 9-year-old lady, a 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old lady — have been unhurt within the capturing, in accordance with police.

Within the information convention Sunday, O’Connor mentioned that the mom is “nonetheless within the hospital recovering from her accidents” and that the kids are staying with relations in Florida.

The household has been residing in a rental automobile after just lately shifting again to Tampa after a number of months of residing out of state, police mentioned.

Police purchased the kids breakfast following the incident and quickly put the household up in a lodge, police added.

Police recognized Stamat by tracing his 2012 BMW by surveillance footage from the scene, authorities mentioned, including that they discovered his automobile the day after the capturing within the storage of his girlfriend’s dwelling, about three miles from the scene of the capturing.

After acquiring search warrants for Stamat’s automobile and residential, police allegedly discovered an empty gun field for a 9mm handgun and empty shell casings matching these discovered on the scene of the crime, authorities mentioned.

O’Connor mentioned on the information convention the handgun police discovered was not the one Stamat allegedly used within the crime.

O’Connor added that the door to the bed room in Stamat’s dwelling during which the shell casings have been discovered allegedly requires his finger print identification to open the door, “so there is not any doubt that these shell casings belong to him,” she mentioned.

Police mentioned Stamat allegedly admitted he was the one one that has used his automobile just lately and that he was driving within the space of the crime the morning of the capturing.

Stamat didn’t give police a motive for the capturing, authorities mentioned, including that he allegedly felt he was being stalked and adopted, which his girlfriend additionally confirmed to police was one thing he believed.

Police mentioned there may be presently no indication of any connection between Stamat and the victims.

O’Connor added within the information convention that the household had clothes overlaying the home windows of their automobile and a visor blocking the view from the windshield, making it unclear whether or not the perpetrator may see who they have been.