Disgruntled gunman shot two people at Radio Shack

[Anonymous]

Mall shooter kills 2, self

Friday, November 19, 2004 Posted: 7:42 AM EST (1242 GMT)

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) -- A gunman fatally shot two people and wounded a third inside a Radio Shack store at a strip mall Thursday night, then shot himself to death, police said.

Another customer and an employee managed to escape uninjured from the store at the Gateway Shopping Center, police spokesman Bill Proffitt said.

Police did not identify the gunman, but police spokesman George Kajtsa said the man "had some mental issues, according to his family."

"He was involved in some kind of a road rage incident today that the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department is investigating," Kajtsa said. He had no other details, other than that the incident occurred well before the evening shootings.

Proffitt said investigators did not know the gunman's motive or whether he knew his victims. The Tampa Tribune previously reported that the gunman was a former Radio Shack employee, but Proffitt could not confirm that.

Shopper Kenneth Powell, 23, and store worker Joanna Cruz, 19, died at a nearby hospital, athorities said. Employee James Dolan, 30, remained in surgery late Thursday for what Kajtsa called "severe" injuries.

Powell "just made it to the store, pretty much in the wrong place at the wrong time," Kevis Murphy, who identified himself as the shopper's uncle, told WTVT-TV of Tampa. "The Lord has his way of doing things and he'll work it out somehow."

Police would not identify the type of gun used.

The store is located between a department store and a supermarket, and the shopping center -- which houses several stores -- was essentially shut down because of the police investigation, Proffitt said.

[Anonymous]

This breaks my heart.


-Jeb

[TexasStooge]

Kinda reminds me of that standoff in South Irving that happened last Friday (11/12) where 2 people were killed. Police believed that a 25 year old man shoots his mother before killing himself.

[CaptinCrunch]

Very sad for the family's

[nystate]

This is the link to the actuall 911 call made (WARNING- it is VERY disturbing)- http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/19/911_audio/index.shtml

[GalvestonDuck]

It was sad to hear at least two of the people moaning in pain in the background. One was obviously Joana Cruz, the only female victim, and the other may have been James Dolan, who survived but is now blind in one eye after emergency surgery.

[DaylilyDawn]

The gunman's cousin said the the gunman was not the kind of person who would do things like that. When a person has mental problems and says he is going target shooting, attention to his actions should be paid. This has been on our evening news for a couple of days now on Tampa television station that I get, Channel 8.WFLA

[Brent]

[southerngale]

How incredibly sad! You just go to work one day and go shopping one day...