Current:Home > MarketsA Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them. -WealthRise Academy
A Florida couple won $3,300 at the casino. Two men then followed them home and shot them.
Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-11 00:44:11
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! (29237)
Related
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Mother's Day Deals: Rush to Coach Outlet's Friends & Family Sale for Trendy Gifts Your Mom Will Love
- Kendall Jenner Rocks a Daring Look on Night Out With Bad Bunny
- Greenland's melting ice could be changing our oceans. Just ask the whales
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Rain brings much-needed relief to firefighters battling Nova Scotia wildfires
- Murder, Madness and the Real Horror Explored in Amityville: An Origin Story
- You Will GAF About Dua Lipa's Met Gala 2023 Look
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Every NSFW Confession Meghan Trainor Has Made About Her Marriage to Daryl Sabara
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- How Katy Perry Honored Crown Jewel Daughter Daisy Dove During Glam Night Out in NYC
- You'll Want to Circle Back on TikTok Star Corporate Natalie's Advice Before Your Next Performance Review
- Dancing With the Stars' Len Goodman Dead at 78
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- A new satellite could help clean up the air in America's most polluted neighborhoods
- Chris Appleton Thanks Fiancé Lukas Gage for Being His Rock During Sweet Awards Shout-Out
- Danny Trejo’s Kitchen Must-Haves Include a Pick Inspired by His Movies
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
This fishing gear can help save whales. What will it take for fishermen to use it?
Shocked and Saddened Maury Povich Pays Tribute to Jerry Springer After His Death
The Colorado and Ohio rivers are among the 'most endangered' in America. Here's why
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Pete Davidson's Karl Lagerfeld Tribute on the Met Gala 2023 Red Carpet Is Cool AF
NASA is sending an Ada Limón poem to Jupiter's moon Europa — and maybe your name too?
Useful Products To Eliminate Annoying Kitchen Problems