Two victims of Tampa shooting rampage remain in critical condition

[depakid]

The two shooting victims who were hospitalized after Friday night's shooting rampage in northwest Hillsborough County are still in critical condition, the Sheriff's Office said Saturday afternoon. Shooting suspect Andre Watkins, 53, remains in jail, charged with first-degree murder, carjacking, kidnapping and three counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Sheriff's deputies say Watkins, of Carrollwood, gunned down a teenage girl and critically wounded two other people late Friday afternoon. They captured him at a Plant City gas station about 1 a.m. One of the shooting victims, Alyssa Marie Aracich, 19, died. She was sitting in her car with two friends and planning to go to McDonald's with them when Watkins drove up and started shooting, said Manny Nieves, 22, who was in the car with her.

Nieves ran away when the shooting started. When Watkins drove off minutes later in a hijacked truck, Nieves ran back to the car and saw that Aracich was wounded, he said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Nieves said Aracich was an innocent bystander who didn't know Watkins. Nieves and some his friends, who live at the house on Chadbourne Drive in the Plantation subdivision where Aracich was shot, said they knew Watkins, but not well.

Watkins often seemed upset with his neighbors and sometimes made threats, said Nieves' friend and roommate, Tayron Troche, 23.

"He was mad at the whole world," Troche said.

More: http://tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/two-victims-of-tampa-shooting-rampage-remain-in-critical-condition/1073108

[Euromutt]

1. Duplicate thread

Already under discussion here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x291114

To provide some much-needed perspective, by the way, from this article http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/feb/12/130810/3-shootings-1-carjacking-reported-carrollwood-area/news-breaking/

Watkins has been arrested on numerous charges in the past 14 years, including battery on a pregnant female, retaliation against a witness and grand theft. His most recent arrest was in October 2008 on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm.

This is not some regular joe who "just snapped" and if only he hadn't had a gun everything would have been fine.

[Glassunion]

2. Yet another sad, sad example

of copy and paste posts with no point to discuss. Such a shame. On top of that it was a "copy-cat" copy and and past with no point.

[rd_kent]

3. Do we need to post the several shootings and stabbings that took place in Australia last week?

What will that prove? About the same as your post proves....nothing.