Current:Home > ContactA Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them. -Excel Money Vision
A Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them.
View
Date:2025-04-15 20:01:45
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! (2199)
Related
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Jim Carrey Reveals Money Inspired His Return to Acting in Candid Paycheck Confession
- Morgan Wallen's Chair Throwing Case Heading to Criminal Court
- Fatal Hougang stabbing: Victim was mum of 3, moved to Singapore to provide for family
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Australian man arrested for starting fire at Changi Airport
- Ohio Supreme Court sides with pharmacies in appeal of $650 million opioid judgment
- GM to retreat from robotaxis and stop funding its Cruise autonomous vehicle unit
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Stock market today: Asian shares retreat, tracking Wall St decline as price data disappoints
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- New York Climate Activists Urge Gov. Hochul to Sign ‘Superfund’ Bill
- Snoop Dogg Details "Kyrptonite" Bond With Daughter Cori Following Her Stroke at 24
- Hougang murder: Victim was mum of 3, moved to Singapore to provide for family
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- OpenAI releases AI video generator Sora to all customers
- Jim Carrey Reveals Money Inspired His Return to Acting in Candid Paycheck Confession
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Recommendation
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione may have suffered from spondylolisthesis. What is it?
New York Climate Activists Urge Gov. Hochul to Sign ‘Superfund’ Bill
'Squirrel stuck in a tree' tops funniest wildlife photos of the year: See the pictures
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
What is Sora? Account creation paused after high demand of AI video generator
Biden and Tribal Leaders Celebrate Four Years of Accomplishments on Behalf of Native Americans
Krispy Kreme's 'Day of the Dozens' offers 12 free doughnuts with purchase: When to get the deal