Police, community call for calm, answers in East Tampa murders

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Tony Parker wants something done about the killings in East Tampa.

“We could come together and create solutions,” Parker said.

That’s why he took to Instagram to beg for answers.

“We actually need to come together to find out what’s going on and find out, what can we do,” he said.

It comes after another deadly mass shooting in East Tampa Thursday night. This one on Palifox Street. Two men are dead and four others were seriously injured.

And just days ago, on Tuesday, a shooting at a park off East Sligh Avenue at 50th Street left one man dead and seven others hurt.

On Friday afternoon, Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan held a news conference about last night’s shooting and violence in East Tampa. He says there’s a problem there.

“When it comes to gun violence, yes there is a problem in East Tampa. I feel like not enough people care about it,” Dugan said.

Tampa police said there have been 114 shooting investigations this year. Thirty-one of them ended in deaths.

One of those deaths is Patricia Brown’s 27-year-old son, Devante. He was shot killed in March at Tampa Park Apartments.

She’s heartbroken over his loss and so much death in East Tampa.

“You’re destroying your family and you’re destroying the family of the child you’re taking away. I plead and I plead and I beg… please stop,” Brown said.

And while his case remains unsolved, Tony Parker is working to solve the murder problem and stop others from feeling that same pain.

“We can all come together to find some solutions to what’s going on… find some remedies to what’s going on in the City of Tampa,” Parker said.