TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A 20-year-old man has been arrested just six days after a credit union customer was shot and killed.
A heavy police presence was spotted at the Suncoast Credit Union branch in an East Tampa neighborhood around 6 a.m. on March 3.
While at the scene, officers found a man in his early 50s “suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body.” The man was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
According to Suncoast Credit Union, the man killed was one of their members.
Now, six days after the credit union shooting, police have made an arrest.
According to the Tampa Police Department, detectives arrested 20-year-old Jeremiah Harris Jr. He was charged with robbery with a firearm and first-degree murder.
Harris was additionally charged with armed robbery for a separate incident that took place on Feb. 21, police said.
“The dedicated work of our officers and skilled investigations of our detectives and fingerprint specialists undoubtedly led to a swift arrest in this case,” Interim Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. “While this dangerous criminal cannot harm another member of our community, our thoughts remain with the victim’s family. We hope this arrest brings a small sense of comfort in their time of mourning.”
After the shooting, detectives began working to gather evidence. They were also actively investigating an armed robbery that had taken place at the same location just 11 days before.
Police stated in that case, a man in his early 20s was at an ATM when he was approached by Harris, who pointed a gun and said, “if you don’t give it to me, I’ll kill you.” Authorities said the victim in that incident was not injured.
According to witness statements, Harris was repeatedly seen wearing clothing and carrying items that matched the suspect in the video surveillance. Further evidence led detectives to an apartment in Meridian Pointe, where Harris was known to be associated with the resident.
A search warrant was then issued for the residence. While searching, police took fingerprints from the apartment and matched them to evidence found at the bank shooting. Testing revealed that the prints were a match to Harris.
During an interview with police, Harris confessed to both offenses and was taken to Orient Road Jail.
Suncoast Credit Union provided the following statement to WFLA:
“We mourn the loss of this victim’s life and offer our sincere condolences to their family and friends for this senseless crime. Safety and security are our highest priority, and we will continue our vigilance for the sake of our members and our hard-working team.”
Darlene Johnson, Executive Vice President, Suncoast Credit Union
