Current:Home > MarketsA Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them. -FinTechWorld
A Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them.
View
Date:2025-04-25 00:16:33
Correction: An early version of this story provided an incorrect location for the casino the victims were visiting.
A Florida couple is grateful to be alive after two masked men attacked, robbed and shot them as they returned home from a date night at a casino, according to authorities.
The ambush happened at 5 a.m. on Aug. 2 outside a home in Riverview, Florida after the couple spent the evening at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told USA TODAY on Friday. Two people were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds that morning.
Tristin Wright, 36, and Marcus Jenkins, 34, have been arrested in connection with the shooting, according to the department. Jenkins has been charged with attempted murder, but both men face several robbery, firearm and battery charges, the spokesperson said. Police are also currently looking for a third suspect.
USA TODAY was working to track down the men's attorneys, if they have them. None are listed for them in court records.
Gunshot victims detail attack
Kim Chambliss and her boyfriend, Val Delacruz, spoke to WTVT about the attack and how they are recovering from the shooting.
"I hear another gunshot and my first thought was 'They've killed him.' I was hysterical, I screamed and cried," Chambliss told the TV station about what she thought when the robbers shot Delacruz.
She talked about how shocking the attack was, saying "we're just average people who are out having a good time, who love each other."
"And to know that we didn't even realize that people were following us every step of the way − it's scary. It's scary," she told the station.
Five gunshots were fired during the robbery, the Miami Herald reported, citing Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies.
Ring camera caught shooting on video
Chambliss said the two men surrounded her and Delacruz's car and demanded money, WTVT reported.
"I ran and I fell in the door and the other guy came out and shot me again for the third time in my left leg," Delacruz told the TV station.
Ring camera footage captured the entire situation, even showing Delacruz being shot in both legs before pleading to the masked men who were standing over him, according to WTVT. The men drove away once the couple's neighbors walked outside.
The couple stayed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for several hours and left after Delacruz won $3,300 on a slot machine and cashed out, the Miami Herald reported, citing the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
'We're just average people'
Investigators arrested Jenkins and Wright after surveillance video showed them watching the couple at the casino in Tampa, Florida for two hours before following them home, WTVT reported.
The attack happened on the one night a month the couple makes time for a date. "We don't get to do it often just because we both work extremely hard," Chambliss told the station.
Delacruz said he is "normally aware" of his surroundings or "would notice if someone was following" him, the TV station reported.
"We've always felt safe in our home. Safe in the neighborhood," Chambliss said. "To have that taken away (is) to have just such an insecure feeling."
veryGood! (31189)
Related
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Body found on Lake Ontario shore in 1992 identified as man who went over Niagara Falls, drifted over 140 miles
- Gilmore Girls’ Matt Czuchry Responds to Criticism About His Character Logan
- When voters say ‘no’ to new stadiums, what do professional sports teams do next?
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Kansas City fans claim power back by rejecting Chiefs and Royals stadium tax
- Officer hired as sheriff’s deputy despite involvement in fatal Manuel Ellis arrest resigns
- Police say man dies after tire comes off SUV and hits his car
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- University of Kentucky Dancer Kate Kaufling Dead at 20
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Can the eclipse impact your astrological sign? An astrologer weighs in
- The Nail Salon Is Expensive: These Press-On Nails Cost Less Than a Manicure
- Officer acquitted in 2020 death of Manuel Ellis in Tacoma hired by neighboring sheriff's office
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Experienced climber found dead in Mount St. Helens volcano crater 1,200 feet below summit
- Playboy Alum Holly Madison Accuses Crystal Hefner of Copying Her Book
- Monterrey fans chant 'Messi was afraid.' Latest on Lionel Messi after Champions Cup loss.
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
The Best Tinted Sunscreens for All Skin Types, Get a Boost of Color & Protect Your Skin All at Once
Prosecutors recommend at least 10 years in prison for parents of Michigan school shooter
Fire tears through nightclub and apartment building in Istanbul, killing at least 29 people: I've lost four friends
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Should you itemize or take a standard deduction on your tax return? Here’s what to know
Score 80% off Peter Thomas Roth, Supergoop!, Fenty Beauty, Kiehl's, and More Daily Deals
Burglars steal $30 million in cash from Los Angeles money storage facility, police say