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Tampa Police Identify Murder Victim

Murder | Tampa Police | Crime

The murder appears linked to two other shooting deaths in the northeast Seminole Heights area.

TAMPA- Police have identified the victim of a Thursday (Oct. 19) shooting in the Northeast Seminole Heights area.

He is Anthony Taino Naiboa, 20, of Tampa.

The Tampa Police Department said officers believe Mr. Naiboa’s murder is linked to two earlier murders in the same area of the city.

The shooting Thursday occurred a few hundred feet from the Oct. 9 murder of Benjamin Edward Mitchell, 22. Mr. Mitchell was killed about 9 p.m. near N 15th Street and E Frierson Avenue, roughly one block north of where Mr. Naiboa was shot.

In the other shooting last week, Monica Caridad Hoffa, 32, was shot on E New Orleans Avenue, which is several blocks south of Conover. In each of the shootings, it appears the victim was alone and was not robbed.

Detectives have not discovered any connection between the three victims.

In Thursday’s shooting, Tampa police were patrolling the area of Northeast Seminole Heights when they heard a possible gunshot. Officers found a man, later identified as Mr. Naiboa, down on the sidewalk along N 15th Street south of E Conover Street and north of E Wilder Avenue. He was dead when officers arrived. Mr. Naiboa’s parents were already concerned. Mr. Naiboa was autistic and had taken a city bus. He had been expected home by the time of the shooting.

Tampa police called out K9 officers, the air service, the tactical response unit, and numerous officers, in addition to homicide detectives.

Detectives are, once again, urging members of the public to watch a surveillance video from the night of the Oct. 9 shooting, and help police identify the man in the video. Officers want to talk with him because he was in the area the night of the first shooting, and may have seen or heard something.

The video can be viewed at:youtube.com.

Crime Stoppers and ATF have teamed up to offer an $18,000 reward in the cases. Also, ATF and ClearChannel are preparing three digital billboards calling attention to the homicides. Anyone with any information regarding this case and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using the P3 Tips mobileapplication, which is a free download for iPhones, iPads, and Droids.

Photo is screenshot from surveillance video. Courtesy of the Tampa Police Department.

Tampa Police | Crime | Murder | Shooting Death | Shooting | Seminole Heights | Tampabay News

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