The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reports that at 3 p. m. Saturday, Tampa Police received a 9-1-1 call from a man who said someone was following him. The caller then said he was in the area of 50th Street and Columbus Drive after leaving a couple of convenience stores, and was getting on the interstate traveling toward Orlando. The caller was out of TPD’s jurisdiction and the call was transferred to the Florida Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Office.
While on the phone with the caller, he stated the vehicle following him had pulled up next to him and someone displayed what appeared to be a gun. He said he had done nothing to cause someone to follow him.
The caller, later identified as Fred William Turner, Jr., 47, stayed on the phone with 9-1-1 operators and the dispatchers reported hearing several shots. According to a witness, Turner pulled off the roadway and the suspect vehicle fled the area.
Authorities said it is unknown what occurred to cause the shooting. Turner was pronounced dead at the scene.
The only description of the suspect vehicle is that of a gray newer model Taurus with tinted windows. It is unknown how many people were inside the suspect vehicle.
The eastbound lanes were closed near I-75 at about 3:30 p. m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The pursuit and shooting spanned the jurisdictions of the Sheriff’s Office, Tampa Police, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
Details were scarce, so law enforcement urged anyone who might have witnessed the chase and shooting, or any related event preceding the incident, to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.
