Dontae Morris, accused of killing two Tampa police officers, ruled competent to stand trial

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Dontae Morris makes first court appearance
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Posted: 05/18/2012

By: Cary Williams

TAMPA - A Hillsborough County judge ruled Friday that Dontae Morris is competent to stand trial for the 2010 murders of two Tampa police officers and three other men.

Morris is scheduled for trial beginning July 30th for the shooting death of 42-year-old Rodney Jones outside the Cotton Club in Tampa.

One month after Jones was killed, police officers Dave Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab were shot and killed on June 30 after making a traffic stop.

Last April, Circuit Judge William Fuente appointed two doctors two evaluate Morris' mental state.

Morris also faces first-degree murder charges in the May 18, 2010 shooting of 21-year-old Derek Anderson and the June 8, 2010 shooting of 25-year-old Harold Wright.

Following the shootings of officers Curtis and Kocab, Morris was the focus of a lengthy manhunt, one of the largest in Tampa's history. Morris eventually surrendered.

A pre-trial hearing in the Jones murder case is set for June 30.