TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — More videos are appearing on social media that show what happened the night of the mass shooting in Ybor City.
Tampa police said at about 3 a.m. Sunday, a fight between two groups of people escalated into gun violence that killed two people, a 14-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man.
The families of the deceased victims later identified them as Elijah Jaquan Wilson, 14, and Harrison Boonstoppel, 20.
“I never thought I would make a post like this,” wrote Ava Boonstoppel, Harrison Boonstoppel’s twin sister, on Facebook. “On Sunday morning, my twin brother was the victim at the mass shooting in Ybor, another senseless act of gun violence that ended the life of an innocent boy. I am heartbroken and don’t have many words right now, but he was a ray of sunshine and such a funny kid. My other half is gone and I don’t want to accept it, I love you Harrison and I miss you already.”
Video uploaded by Instagram user Rainokari showed the moment a man pulled his gun out in front of the Ybor Taphouse.
The crowd around the gunman then panics, running as shots are fired.
“I knew that was finna happen bro,” one man is heard saying.
“And he dead, bro!” another man is heard saying in response.
In the unedited video, which 8 On Your Side has chosen not to feature in our coverage, the body of one of the victims is seen lying in the middle of 7th Avenue.
Another video by Rainokari showed numerous victims having their wounds tended to by officers on bloody sidewalks.
Another video posted on social media shows the crowd before the mass shooting devastated the Halloween celebrations.
“I worked in Ybor City Saturday night when the shooting happened. This was a short clip I shot just as the night was ending and I was in awe of the crowds,” Bobby Blish posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Blish’s video shows hundreds of people gathered in the streets. He added in his post that the entire night was “amazing” until the shooting occurred.
“The ENTIRE night was amazing. Great crowds. Great costumes. Great energy. People were out having a great time. The streets were shut down to cars and full of people walking and having fun. It felt like old Ybor again,” he posted.
A total of 16 other people were injured in the chaos, 15 of which suffered gunshot wounds. Tampa police said most of the victims, who were between the ages of 18 and 27, were released from the hospital.
As of 12:30 p.m., the remaining five hospitalized victims were said to be stable with non-life-threatening injuries.
One suspect, 22-year-old Tyrell Stephen Phillips, was arrested on a charge of second-degree murder and remained in jail on no bond Monday. However, detectives are still looking for other people who may have been involved in the deadly shooting.
If you know anything, call Tampa police at 813-231-6130, send a tip via TIP411, or contact Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay at 800-873-TIPS.
