TAMPA, FL. – On March 6, 2005, at approximately 10:53 a.m., the Florida Highway Patrol responded to a traffic crash on the southbound exit ramp of Interstate 75 onto Interstate 4.
Upon arrival, troopers found what appeared to be a single-vehicle crash involving a 1990 Ford F250. Further investigation revealed a bullet hole in the victim’s vehicle and a single gunshot wound to the victim.
Preliminary investigation determined that the victim was southbound on Interstate 75 from the area of State Road 54 in Zephyrhills.
Witnesses report seeing the victim’s vehicle southbound on Interstate 75 just south of Fowler Avenue. The next report on the victim’s vehicle was when it was observed crashed on the exit ramp.
A single bullet hole was found in the driver’s door near the side-view mirror. The bullet penetrated the driver’s door and the victim was struck in the upper left side of his chest.
The victim died as a result of his injuries.
The victim was identified as 49-year-old David Addison Neel of Zephyrhills. It appeared at the time that Mr. Neel was shot while driving along Interstate 75 at the southbound exit ramp for Interstate 4.
Indications are the shot was fired from a passing vehicle which would have been slightly ahead of and to the left of Mr. Neel’s pickup truck.
In 2016, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with Crime Stoppers Of Tampa Bay, released a video that reenacts what investigators believed happened to Mr. Neel.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the unknown suspect(s) in this case.
Anyone with any information regarding this case and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using the P3 Tips Mobile application, which is a free download for iPhones and Droids. Crime Stoppers must be contacted first in order to be eligible for a cash reward.
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