BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
On Monday (today) at 7 p. m., family members and members of the community will hold a candlelight vigil at the Family Dollar Store, 4900 N. 40th Street. The vigil is being held to remember Mr. Horsley J. R. Shorter, Jr., one of the store managers who was shot and killed Sunday during an armed robbery.
According to a spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department, around 9 a.m., on Sunday, an armed suspect entered the Family Dollar Store, (corner of N. 40th Street and E. Ellicott) and approached a clerk, and demanded money. Mr. Horsley “J. R.” Shorter, Jr., 49, a manager, was in the office and observed the robbery in progress.
Police said the gunman shot Shorter and forced the clerk into the parking lot at gunpoint. He attempted to place the clerk in the trunk of his own vehicle, but the clerk pleaded with him. The suspect eventually closed the trunk and drove off in the man’s 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage. The car was later located Sunday night in the 2500 block of E. 38th Avenue.
The suspect is described as being in his 20s with a thin build and dark complexion. He was last seen wearing a black Beanie, long sleeved thermal shirt, long shorts, and dark blue boxers.
If anyone has any information pertaining to the suspect, he or she is asked to contact the Tampa Police Department at (813) 231-6130 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477).
Manager Was Popular
Known as “J.R.,” Mr. Shorter was well known by patrons of the store. He had worked there for the past 4 years.
A native of Reynolds, Georgia, he was the 7th of 8 children born to Mrs. Hattie Shorter, and the late Mr. Horsley Shorter, Sr.
His family moved to Tampa when he was 6 years old and he attended the public schools of Hillsborough County. He graduated from Tampa Bay Technical High School in 1981, and entered the U. S. Army.
His sister, Mrs. Trinetta Shorter-Williams, said after entering the Army, her brother later transferred to the U. S. Air Force. After dedicating 26 years of his life to the military, Shorter retired and returned home for a period.
Mrs. Shorter-Williams said he later relocated to Maryland. However, when their father died in 2009, Shorter returned to Tampa to care for his mother, who was ill at the time.
After returning to Tampa, he became employed with the Family Dollar Store.
“I’m the youngest and we were close in age, so we were very close. He was really a good person. My brother was a person who really would do anything he could for you. He was my hero, and I’m just speechless. I’m just saddened by this.”
She further stated that while he wasn’t married and didn’t have any children of his own, he treated his nieces like they were his kids. He loved hanging out with his friends, playing softball, football, and going to the gym.
Mrs. Shorter-Williams said her brother would often attend New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church. Funeral services for Mr. Shorter were incomplete at press time. Aikens Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.
