Sooner in Tampa
6/29/2010, 06:30 AM
:( :( :(
Please say a prayer for this young mother and he unborn child...
Please say a prayer also for the officer on life support!
TAMPA - A Tampa police (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/tampa-police/) officer is dead and another is on life support after being shot this morning during a traffic stop.
A massive search (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/massive-search/) is under way for the suspects – a man and woman in a red 1994 Toyota Camry.
The dead officer, Jeffrey Kocab, has been with the department for 13 months, coming from the Plant City Police Department. Kocab, 31, leaves behind a wife who is nine months pregnant.
The injured officer, Dave Curtis, also 31, has been with the department for four years. He has a wife and four sons, ages 9, 8, 5 and 8 months.
"This is an unbelievable tragedy for these families and for the larger family of TPD and for the larger family of the city of Tampa," Mayor Pam Iorio (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mayor-pam-iorio/) said. "Our hearts are just breaking. It is so very tragic."
The incident began about 2:15 a.m. when an officer pulled over the Toyota, which was missing a tag, near 50th Street and 23rd Avenue, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mcelroy/) said. The male passenger was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant, so the officer called for backup.
It's believed the passenger shot both officers as they approached the Toyota, McElroy (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mcelroy/) said.
There were no radio transmissions.
Six minutes later, a citizen unrelated to the shooting called 911 to say two officers had been shot.
Police rushed to the scene and paramedics took the officers to Tampa General (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/tampa-general/) Hospital.
Iorio and Police Chief Jane Castor are at TGH. A steady stream of police officers continues to arrive. Some are grim-faced; others are hugging comrades as they arrive.
50th Street is closed between 21st Street and Dr. Martin Luther King (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/martin-luther-king/) Jr. Boulevard as the investigation continues.
Hillsborough County deputies (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/county-deputies/) are helping with the search to find the Camry's occupants. The driver is a black female. The passenger is a black man in his mid- to late 20s. He's about 5-foot-10 and 150 to 170 pounds. He has a 1-inch afro and was last seen wearing brown shorts, a white shirt, a black vest (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/black-vest/) and white sneakers, McElroy (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mcelroy/) said.
Kocab is the second Tampa police (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/tampa-police/) officer killed in the line of duty (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/line-of-duty/) in the past year. Cpl. Mike Roberts was fatally shot Aug. 19.
This is the second time in a week that officers have been shot during traffic stops in the Tampa Bay area.
UPDATE:
The second officer had passed..........
Please say a prayer for this young mother and he unborn child...
Please say a prayer also for the officer on life support!
TAMPA - A Tampa police (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/tampa-police/) officer is dead and another is on life support after being shot this morning during a traffic stop.
A massive search (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/massive-search/) is under way for the suspects – a man and woman in a red 1994 Toyota Camry.
The dead officer, Jeffrey Kocab, has been with the department for 13 months, coming from the Plant City Police Department. Kocab, 31, leaves behind a wife who is nine months pregnant.
The injured officer, Dave Curtis, also 31, has been with the department for four years. He has a wife and four sons, ages 9, 8, 5 and 8 months.
"This is an unbelievable tragedy for these families and for the larger family of TPD and for the larger family of the city of Tampa," Mayor Pam Iorio (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mayor-pam-iorio/) said. "Our hearts are just breaking. It is so very tragic."
The incident began about 2:15 a.m. when an officer pulled over the Toyota, which was missing a tag, near 50th Street and 23rd Avenue, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mcelroy/) said. The male passenger was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant, so the officer called for backup.
It's believed the passenger shot both officers as they approached the Toyota, McElroy (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mcelroy/) said.
There were no radio transmissions.
Six minutes later, a citizen unrelated to the shooting called 911 to say two officers had been shot.
Police rushed to the scene and paramedics took the officers to Tampa General (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/tampa-general/) Hospital.
Iorio and Police Chief Jane Castor are at TGH. A steady stream of police officers continues to arrive. Some are grim-faced; others are hugging comrades as they arrive.
50th Street is closed between 21st Street and Dr. Martin Luther King (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/martin-luther-king/) Jr. Boulevard as the investigation continues.
Hillsborough County deputies (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/county-deputies/) are helping with the search to find the Camry's occupants. The driver is a black female. The passenger is a black man in his mid- to late 20s. He's about 5-foot-10 and 150 to 170 pounds. He has a 1-inch afro and was last seen wearing brown shorts, a white shirt, a black vest (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/black-vest/) and white sneakers, McElroy (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/mcelroy/) said.
Kocab is the second Tampa police (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/tampa-police/) officer killed in the line of duty (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/line-of-duty/) in the past year. Cpl. Mike Roberts was fatally shot Aug. 19.
This is the second time in a week that officers have been shot during traffic stops in the Tampa Bay area.
UPDATE:
The second officer had passed..........