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Two dead, one injured in shooting at St. Petersburg gas station; search for shooter continues

Police are looking for the shooter who opened fire at a gas station in St. Petersburg Monday night, killing two people and injuring another.

By: WFTS Digital Staff

Posted at 10:46 PM, Jan 21, 2019

and last updated 2019-01-22 20:22:27-05

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Community activists hope people that live in South St Petersburg will join them to stop gun violence. Their renewed push comes after three men were shot in a car at the intersection of 34th street and 18th avenue south Monday night around 9:40.

#BreakingNews @StPetePD giving updated info. Total of 3 adult men shot at gas station. 2 died at hospital. The third has non-life threatening injuries. About a hundred people were gathered here when shots fired. No suspect info. @abcactionnews pic.twitter.com/oUFpy4pP33
— Michael Paluska (@MichaelPaluska) January 22, 2019

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/iframe&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The St. Pete Police Chief says it happened at the same time nearly 100 people gathered in the parking lot of a shell gas station on the corner of that intersection. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;He says they’re still working to find out if the shooting had anything to do with the gathering, but says the people who fired the shots were in a separate car that pulled up next to the three men at the traffic light. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Police identified the deceased victims as 42-year-old Roger Lee Ford, Jr. and 39-year-old Tywan Jeremiah Armstrong.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A third man, 44-year-old Carlos Demetrius Young, is in stable condition at a local hospital and is expected to survive.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Community leaders say the parking lot if a popular place for people of all ages in the area to gather and hang out. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;It’s not a gas station it is almost a community center,” said JC Pritchett, the President of Interdenominational Ministry Alliance or MIA. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The gathering took place hours after the Martin Luther King Jr. parade was over, and St. Pete police say it had nothing to do with the event itself. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;They say because the parking lot is private property, and the owner of the shell gas station has never asked them to come keep an eye on gatherings that happen there they do not patrol the crowd. But, they say they were there minutes after they got the call about the three men shot in a car nearby. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;There’s some families that are grieving today, they’re morning, they’re making funeral plans,” said Clarence Williams, the Pastor for Greater Mt. Zion Community Church. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Williams and other community leaders say they work with police every day to bridge the gap between officers and the community. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;We have to engage beyond our church walls and try and get out here with law-enforcement,” said Williams. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;“We can’t resolve our disputes by killing each other or hurting each other,” said Pritchett. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;St. Pete police changed the way they patrolled the MLK Jr. parade this year by being less “visible” after listening to complaints from the public. But they say their new approach to the patrol made no difference on what happened at that intersection hours later. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;They are looking at security cameras on businesses in the area and say the community is getting them some pretty strong leads but they are hoping more people come to them with additional information.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The identity of the shooter remains unknown. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call St. Petersburg Police at (727) 893-7780.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

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Two dead, one injured in shooting at St. Petersburg gas station; search for shooter continues

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