Who is Emmitt Wilson? Dad of 14-year-old killed in Tampa shooting mourns 'second child I've lost to gun violence'
TAMPA, FLORIDA: Emmitt Wilson, the father of a 14-year-old, told the media that his teenage son was one of the two victims who were killed in the Tampa shooting on Halloween.
According to Tampa Police Department's statement, Emmitt's son Elijah Jaquan Wilson was killed around 3 am on October 29 on the 1600 block of East 7th Avenue of Ybor City, a neighborhood in Tampa, Florida.
The mass shooting erupted during Halloween festivities, killing two, including Elijah and a 20-year-old who is yet to be identified. Eighteen people were injured in the tragic incident.
One of the suspects, Tyrell Stephen Phillips, 22, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, reported CBS News.
Who is Emmitt Wilson?
Emmitt, father of the shooting victim Elijah, is from West Tampa in Florida, says his Facebook profile.
With multiple jobs to look after his family, he is employed at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City. He also works at the Perry Contracting Services LLC, a local business venture in Tampa, and Applebee's Grill + Bar.
After seeing his teenage son's body, a devastated Emmitt told the media, "He was 14 years old, at the wrong place at the wrong time."
He had already lost one of his children in 2014.
"2014, I lost my child. Now here it is, 2023, and my baby boy, he's gone now from gun violence."
"This is the second child I've lost to gun violence. That's all I have to say. I'm losing my mind right now; I don't know what to do," said Emmitt.
Dispute between two groups led to the shooting, says reports
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a news conference that a fight between two rival gangs led to the shooting.
"This is a very complicated scene, but what we know, at this point, it was a disturbance or a fight between two groups; in this fight between two groups, we had hundreds of innocent people involved that were in the way," Bercaw said.
Based on a CBS report, at least two shooters opened fire when the city was in the middle of Halloween festivities. Police arrested one suspect, Phillips. However, police have not yet revealed any details regarding the arrest of the second shooter.
According to CNN, police recovered two handguns from the scene, one of which was stolen.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor wrote on X about the tragic incident, "Bad decisions made in a split second and the proliferation of readily available guns are responsible for these almost daily incidents. We can affect one half of this equation."
Yet again, a senseless loss of life by those choosing to settle a dispute with firearms. Lives lost and others forever changed. To what end? The Tampa Police Department had 50 officers deployed in the area at the time, so this is not a law enforcement issue. Bad decisions made in… https://t.co/BNdmXgqs43
— Jane Castor (@JaneCastor) October 29, 2023
