Current:Home > MarketsA Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them. -TradeCircle
A Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them.
View
Date:2025-04-22 11:04:02
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! (418)
Related
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- Woman arrested after dead body 'wrapped' in mattress found on car's back seat, police say
- How property owners and lawmakers are turning the tables on squatters
- All-star country lineup including Dolly Parton and Chris Stapleton honors Tom Petty in new album
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- California dad who drove family off cliff will get mental health treatment instead of trial
- Zaccharie Risacher doesn't have to be a savior for Hawks. He just needs to be good.
- The US Tennis Association can do more to prevent abuse such as sexual misconduct, a review says
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- Bill Cobbs, the prolific and sage character actor, dies at 90
Ranking
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Judge upholds North Carolina’s anti-rioting law, dismisses civil liberties suit
- California floats an idea to fight shoplifting that may even affect who controls Congress
- North Carolina legislators consider vetoes, constitution changes as work session winds down
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Kate Spade 4th of July 2024 Sale: Extra 50% Off Sale Styles, Up to 65% Off Bags & More
- Michael Easton is leaving 'General Hospital': 'I've loved every minute'
- Country music legend Willie Nelson cancels tour performances
Recommendation
Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
Here's how and when to watch Simone Biles at 2024 U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials
Trump and Biden's first presidential debate of 2024 is tomorrow. Here's what to know.
7-Eleven Slurpees go beyond the cup with new limited-edition Twinkies and Drumstick treats
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
'I'm sorry': Texas executes Ramiro Gonzales on birthday of 18-year-old he raped and killed
Skye Blakely injures herself on floor during training at U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials
Michael Phelps slams Olympic anti-doping efforts during testimony