TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa police arrested a 43-year-old man late Saturday night after an altercation between a group of people moved across the city and ended in a fatal shooting outside a local motel.
Officers were called to the 7100 block of North Nebraska Avenue just after 11:00 p.m. on August 29 following reports of a brawl involving multiple people. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a man in his late 30s suffering from gunshot wounds. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet publicly released the victim’s name.
While officers were securing the area, the suspected shooter, identified as Fletcher McCray, walked up to them directly. McCray told the responding officers that he had shot the victim.
According to a preliminary police report, the incident began earlier in the evening at a different location where several people, including McCray, got into a physical dispute. Police noted that the victim had not been involved in that initial confrontation. The group eventually traveled to the North Nebraska Avenue motel, where the physical fight broke out again.
During questioning, McCray told detectives that he opened fire because the victim had threatened him. However, investigators said that account was contradicted by security footage recovered from the property.
According to police, the surveillance video shows the victim with his hands in the air right before McCray pulled the trigger. Detectives stated the footage did not line up with McCray’s claims of self-defense or an active threat.
Police booked McCray into custody early Sunday morning. He faces charges of second-degree murder with a firearm discharge and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Tampa police confirmed the investigation remains active and said additional updates will be released as detectives gather more evidence.
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