Deputies booked 28-year-old Ismael Luis Ortiz in the Hillsborough County Jail early Thursday morning. Authorities say he shot two people, killing one, on Valentine's Day
Detectives say the shooting victims Rafael Salvi and Leonard Denis, and two other friends, drove to the Suburban Lodge motel on West Hillsborough Avenue to buy marijuana and Xanax bars from a Hispanic man known by his nickname, "Twink."
After the drug sale was completed, the seller left in his white SUV only to return a short time later and block in the four men their vehicle. It was at that point the drug seller rolled down his window and fired shots.
Davis and Salvi were each hit by one bullet. Davis survived his injuries, but Salvi did not.
Detectives linked the phone number used to call "Twink" to Ismael Ortiz on a social media site. A witness positively identified Ismael Ortiz as the gunman during a sequential line-up.
Wednesday, detectives located Ortiz at a home on Belle Chase Circle in Tampa. During an interview, the Sheriff's Office says he admitted to shooting the victims.
Ortiz was subsequently arrested and charged with Second Degree Murder with a Firearm Discharge Causing Death and Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon Great Bodily Harm.
