Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Tampa Police detectives are looking for suspects in the shooting death of a young man Tuesday evening.

According to reports, Paul E. Smith, Jr. (pictured), 21, had been operating a car wash business on the corner of 34^th Street and Lake Avenue.

A friend of Smith said a problem with the compressor forced Smith to shut down just after 5 p.m., and he walked a few blocks to the home of a friend to just hang out.

That friend lives in the 3400 block of Lindell Avenue, and said he, Smith, and a third person were sitting on his front porch when they noticed a white Chevrolet Impala with no rims or tinted windows pulling up.

The friend said before any of them could react, shots were being fired from the vehicle. He said he was grazed on the arm by a bullet, and when he started running, he noticed he was being chased. When he returned to the house, he found Smith dead from a pair of gunshot wounds to his head.

“Thank God I was sitting on the side of the porch, because if I was sitting where Paul was, both of us would be dead,” said the friend.

“They never said anything. They just pulled up and started shooting. We think it’s in retaliation for what happened in Grant Park.”

Hopeton Virgo, who owns the businesses where the car wash was operating, said when he first met Smith, he was just one of the young men who hung out with some of the guys operating the car wash.

“The first group of guys operating the car wash couldn’t get their act together, and they left. When I met Paul, I talked to him, and told him he could take over the car wash business, but he needed to take care of his paperwork first to make everything legal. I also told him to not have a bunch of guys hanging around.”

Mr. Virgo said he first met Smith about 3 months ago, and found him to be respectful and hard working.

“On the day this happened, I had left to take care of some business. When I returned, I asked for Paul, and was told he had left because of a problem they were having with the compressor. Later, a guy came up crying and said Paul had been shot.

“I tried to reach out to him. He was doing fine, and I never had any problems with him.”

Police have not released any suspect information, but did say the shooting does not appear to be a random act.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

On Monday, April 22^nd, jurors were seated to hear the murder trial of a 22-year-old Tyrell Bragg, who was accused of killing a bystander while shooting at a party. The jury convicted him on the charge on Wednesday afternoon.

Bragg was arrested in July 2011 in connection with the death of Ms. Iesha Washington, 18.

Craig A. Thompson, Jr., 22, was also fatally wounded in the July 30^th shooting spree, but no one has been arrested in connection with his death.

Ms. Vanetta Scott, mother of Ms. Washington said about 13 members of her family attended the 3-day trial.

“The prosecutor offered him a 25-year plea bargain, but he turned it down. I really didn’t want my kids to have to testify, but they were awesome. I was so proud of them.

“The worse part of the trial was waiting for the jury to come back with a verdict. But, they came back in less than an hour with the unanimous guilty verdict,” Ms. Scott said.

A sentencing date for Bragg has not been set.

The shooting took place at the International Chemical Workers Union Council, Local 439, Clubhouse, 5127 Highway 41, South, in Riverview. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s detectives arrested Tyrell Sidney Bragg the day after the shooting and charged him with the second-degree murder of Ms. Washington and being a felon in possession of a handgun.

Deputies received the call that shots had been fired at the location and responded to the scene. As the deputies began their investigation, they learned that Ms. Washington, and Thompson had both been fatally injured. Ms. Washington died at the scene. Thompson died at Tampa General Hospital.

Police said when deputies arrived there were more than 1oo people at the scene. Witnesses told police that there were 400 to 500 people at the party at some point.

According to the arrest affidavit, Bragg allegedly attended the party at the clubhouse. At approximately 12:36 a.m., Saturday, Security ordered Bragg to leave after an altercation took place. Once outside, Bragg is accused of firing several shots into the crowd. One of the bullets struck Ms. Washington.

Bragg admitted that he attended the party, but denied shooting into the crowd.

Ms. Washington was a member of the Spoto High School Softball Team. She would have begun her senior year in the fall of 2011.

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In separate incidents Tuesday, Tampa Police are investigating shootings that left one man wounded, and another young man dead.

The first incident at 11:56 a. m. left 45-year-old Ulrich Johnson wounded.

The second incident occurred Tuesday evening at 5:30 p. m., and left 21-year-old Paul Smith dead.

Details about both shootings will come later.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

It took nine years for doctors to determine the cause of the illness plaguing Ms. Rhonda Williams. During that time, she suffered from liver, kidney, and lung failures, among other illnesses and allergies.

Ms. Williams said there were several misdiagnoses until January 4, 2013, when she was diagnosed with having a rare disease known as G6PD Deficiency (Glucose-6-Phoisphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency). She calls it “God’s Promise of Delivery Deficiency.” 

On Thursday, May 2^nd, she is hosting a fundraiser at Genghis Grill, 910 E. Providence Road, in Brandon.

Ms. Williams is attempting to raise money for a trip to Queens, New York. Once there, she will meet with Dr. Dorothy Ogunda at the AKI Health Center.

“This illness is so rare that some doctors here had never heard of it, and the few who had did not know how to treat it. It primarily affects people living in Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean area of the world. The few people who have been diagnosed in the United States have been African American baby boys.

“Doctors here are doing the best they can, but they are limited. Dr. Ogunda is an African doctor who is familiar with the disease because she has it also.”

A Progress Village native, Ms. Williams graduated from Brandon High School in 1985. She continued her education at the University of South Florida, where she graduated with a degree in Engineering. However, she was later hit by a drunk driver and was left permanently disabled.

A returning member of St. James AME Church of Progress Village, Ms. Williams is the daughter of the late Billie and Olivia Williams and the niece of the late Coach ‘Big Jim’ Williams. She is single and does not have any children.

She believes her illness developed because of a chemical spill in 2004 at the gypsum plant she lives near in Progress Village. Through research, Ms. Williams has learned that about 4 million people carry the trait, but it seldom develops into the disease.

Ms. Williams receives SSI and food stamps. However, she spends about $600 per month on food. She can’t consume any foods containing soy or use any products containing mint, menthol, quinine, sulfites, ascorbic acid, artificial coloring … the list goes on. She cannot have anesthesia so she has undergone three operations without it.

“To look at me, I look like the picture of health. But, I have to get up at 4:30 a.m., in order to be ready for an 11 a.m. doctor’s appointment.

“G6PD Deficiency causes abnormalities of the chromosomes. There is no cure for it, but it is manageable with the right treatment.”

Anyone wishing to help Ms. Williams can reach her at (813) 677-4261; or at  HYPERLINK “mailto:RLW523@aol.com” RLW523@aol.com.

More than 70 supporters of new gun laws gathered in front of Florida U. S. Senator Marco Rubio’s office on the USF Tampa campus on Saturday. They protested Rubio’s “no” votes against expanded background checks and other measures that are designed to reduce rising gun violence in our communities. The rally was sponsored by Organizing for Action (OFA), a new non-profit, grassroots effort to promote passage of President Obama’s legislative agenda. OFA is not affiliated with any political party or candidate.

Several national polls show that the majority of Americans favor more legal steps to curtail the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally impaired.

Since the mass killing of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on December 14, 2012, at least 3,527 more gunshot deaths have occurred in other parts of the country. According to those official estimates, 226 of those killings have been in Florida and of those, 19 here in the Tampa area.

The Saturday demonstration against Senator Rubio’s apparent lack of concern for helping to prevent such tragedies included protestors from most parts of the Tampa Bay area. Among them were several speakers who told the crowd about personal experiences with gun violence.

Ms. Mary Ann  Reynolds of Tampa lost her 16-year-old grandson, Jamarie, to a gangster’s bullets only a month after his birthday in October 2011. The shooting occurred in her home after two teenage boys armed with a pistol forced their way inside while she was away. After the intruders robbed Jamarie and his younger brother, they began beating the younger boy.

Jamarie tried to protect his sibling, but he was shot and killed.

The shooting, she said, was part of a series of gang-related incidents in the area that were part of new member initiations.

The trial of the 19-year-old shooting suspect, on a 2nd degree murder charge, is scheduled to begin Tuesday (today), April 23rd, in Courtroom 6, in Tampa. Ms. Reynolds says she will be there.

Community activist, Carl Warren, Sr., spoke about his “disagreement” with the Republican Party over its position on gun violence. He said he had been a member of the GOP for 34 years, but could not accept his party’s or Senator Rubio’s lack of positive action on the issue.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

In December 2012, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the law allowing officers to cite drivers for loud music was unconstitutional. Since that time, the City of Tampa has revisited and restructured its ordinance.

Two weeks ago, members of the City Council passed an ordinance to address the issue of loud music. The vote was unanimous.

The second reading of the ordinance will take place on   May 2^nd. If there are no challenges at that time, it will go into effect immediately.

City Councilman Frank Reddick, Representative for District 5, said he made the motion to pass the ordinance. “We had some changes made to the existing ordinance. Originally, the law said if an officer could hear the music from 100 feet away, he could cite the driver. We changed that to 50 feet.

“We are trying to give law enforcement the tools they need to stop people from disturbing others in their neighborhoods. We have received numerous complaints from people about the music rattling their winds and just causing a disturbance,” Councilman Reddick said.

He further stated, “The bill will meet any legal challenges and that is what we wanted to do.”

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor said, “It is a very important piece of legislation for the Tampa Police Department and for the community. Since crime is down, noise is one of the main complaints we are getting from the loud boom-boom of music and it’s very disruptive.

“Now, we send letters to the people, but that is really ineffective and we had no way of dealing with the issue. If we can have an ordinance, it would allow officers to stop motorists and cite them,” she said.

Chief Castor stated that some people complaint about it in their respective neighborhoods. However, it is a problem 24 hours a day for those who reside on main thoroughfares.

The action of the Florida Supreme Court justices struck down the 2005 state law that allowed officers to stop motorists if the music was plainly audible within 25 feet. In doing so, the court upheld the 2^nd District Court of Appeal decision.

The law was rejected because it wasn’t universally applicable to all types of noise. It provided exemptions for political or commercial noise.

Pending State Level Noise Bills

Earlier this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a measure to re-enact the state’s law. However, the panel rejected an effort that would have required police to keep a record of whether the law is used more often to ticket African Americans and Latinos.

If it passes SB 634 would make it illegal for any type of sound coming from a car to be able to be “plainly audible” at 25 feet or more. There would be a $30 fee for violations.

Senator Arthenia Joyner had sought an amendment to the bill that would place a check box on the tickets to indicate the race of the person being cited. “The proclivity is that we make more noise than anybody else,” she said.

A House version of the bill, HB 1019, is on the calendar waiting for a floor vote.

Tampa Police are looking for a woman they believe tried to stab another woman during a dispute.

At 11:30 a. m. Saturday, police said during a verbal dispute, Sharon Devose, 50, armed herself with a steak knife in the apartment of Lauren Michon Gee, 48, and tried to stab her.

According to reports, Gee was cut on the arm during a struggle with Devose. Authorities said the wound was minor.

Police said Gee ran outside and was followed by Devose, who continued to attack her.

Devose allegedly bit Gee twice before fleeing on foot.

A pickup order has been issued for Devose’s arrest.

BY IRIS B. HOLTON

Sentinel City Editor

Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease that primarily African Americans suffer from. Children who are born to parents who both carry the Sickle Cell trait inherit the incurable disease.

Two Tampa women feel there is a need to bring together children and adults who are suffering from the illness.

On Saturday, April 27^th at 11 a.m., the Sickle Cell Education Foundation & Hands of Hope-SCA will present “Bridging the Gap – Uniting Adults & Children with Sickle Cell Disease.”

The event will be held in the University of South Florida at the David Anchin Center, TECO Room, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, Florida  33620-7500.

In a joint effort between Dr. Jawan Ayer-Cole and Ms. Cecelia “Cece” Mitchell, the event will bring together, or ‘bridge,’ the older generation and the younger generation who suffer from the disease.

During the event, they will have the opportunity to exchange knowledge of treatment and share stories between the two generations.

Ms. Williams said her sister has the Sickle Cell disease, so she was knowledgeable about the disease. However, when her grandson was born with it, she became more involved. “Children can’t speak for themselves. You have to be their voice.

“Words are powerful tools of life that cannot break us, but yet they can help us.  This will also raise Sickle Cell awareness and educate the community about Sickle Cell Anemia. It will also inform the public about possible treatment and pain management that is available,” Ms. Mitchell said.

A Tampa physician, Dr. Ayer-Cole treats adult Sickle Cell Anemia patients and specializes in Hematology and Oncology.

Dr. Ayer-Cole said, “Sickle Cell Anemia is a serious, but overlooked genetic blood disorder. It affects the red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs throughout the body.”

She further stated that when a person suffers from Sickle Cell, their red blood cells only live about half the time (60 days), of a person who does not have the disease, and the body cannot produce more red blood cells. This condition produces anemia.

People with Sickle Cell Anemia have pain, ranging from mild to severe, at any time and in any part of the body. They also have frequent hospitalizations.

Sickle Cell victims also have other complications that include acute chest syndrome, pain in the joints or anywhere blood flows, and organ damage.

Anyone with questions about the event can contact Ms. Cecelia Mitchell at (813) 417-1014.