Two people were fatally wounded Saturday after shooting erupted at a party that swelled to more than 400 people. Both of the victims are believed to be innocent bystanders.
Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a clubhouse at 5020 Highway 41 South, in Riverview, owned by the Local 439 of the International Chemical Workers Union.
Deputies began to search for victims and discovered that Ms. Iesha Washington, who had turned 18 twelve days before. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Craig Thomposon
As the search continued, deputies also discovered that 22-year-old Craig A. Thompson had been shot as well. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Dep. Larry McKinnon, spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said when deputies arrived there were more than 1oo people at the scene.
Dep. McKinnon further stated that there was security at the party, but was told by some witnesses that there were 400 to 500 people at the party at some point.
One Arrested, One Sought
On Sunday, detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Tampa man and charged him with the double murder. He has been identified as Tyrell Sidney Bragg. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and is being held without bond.
Tyrell Bragg
Bragg was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Ms. Washington. Police also recovered a .380 handgun believed to be the murder weapon. [private]
The investigation is continuing as police seek a second shooter. During the investigation, police located empty shell casings from a second handgun of a different caliber. Investigators believe the second handgun may have been used to fatally shoot Thompson.
According to the arrest affidavit, Bragg, who turned 21 on July 21st, attended the party at the clubhouse Friday night. At approximately 12:36 a.m., Saturday, Security ordered Bragg to leave after an altercation took place. Once outside, Bragg allegedly armed himself with a handgun and fired several shots into the crowd.
A witness positively identified Bragg as the individual who fired the weapon that killed Ms. Washington. A second witness was interviewed and positively identified Bragg as the person firing a handgun into the crowd, the affidavit stated.
Police said a third witness stated that on Saturday afternoon, Bragg allegedly “stated that he attended a party the night before and that he (Bragg) “slumped” someone. The witness described this term means “killed someone,” the affidavit stated.
Police said the witness gave them a .380 caliber “Bryco” firearm. The witness told police Bragg had asked him to hide the gun and the witness hid it outside of his residence.
Bragg admitted to police that he attended the party, but said that once he was told to leave, he heard gunshots outside and ran. However, Bragg denied having a gun or shooting during the incident, police said.
Thompson was the son of Ms. Nicaka Walker and Craig Thompson, Sr. In addition to his parents and siblings, he is survived by grandmothers, Ms. Darele Norman, and Ms. Gwendolyn Lingo, other family members and friends.
His father said that the family does not have any life insurance and are in need of donations to help with the burial. He stated that once his son turned 18, he (Craig, Jr.) was automatically dropped from his insurance.
Aikens Funeral Home is in charge of handling his arrangements for Both Ms. Washington and Thompson.[/private]
