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2 East Bay Students Shot Near Bus Stop

TBO.com photo by JAMES D. COLLINS

Sheriff’s officials say two East Bay High students were stable when they were flown to Tampa General Hospital on Monday.

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By CHRIS ECHEGARAY and LIZ BLEAU, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2007

Updated: 12/17/2007 11:18 pm

GIBSONTON - The shooting of two East Bay High School students on Monday has set off heightened security at the school and the bus stop where it occurred.

The students, a 16-year-old boy and girl, were shot as they walked from their school bus stop at 8029 Carriage Pointe Drive, off Symmes Road, at 3:30 p.m.

Both were flown to Tampa General Hospital. Their conditions were unavailable late Monday, but sheriff's officials said they were stable when they were taken from the scene of the shooting.

A manhunt for the gunman continued late Monday. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office investigators said they have a suspect but would not identify him.

With the gunman on the loose and school officials figuring out what led to the shootings, the school is beefing up security, school district spokesman Steve Hegarty said.

"It's exam day," he said. "We are going to show parents it's a safe place. There will be security at the school, at the bus stop and counselors at the school."

The sheriff's office has not released the victim's names, but family members of the girl identified her as Jessica Davis, 16.

The shooting appears to be related to a fight last week at the bus stop, according to witnesses and the girl's family members.

According to DeUndray and Brehanna Davis, their sister and the 16-year-old boy had watched the fight at the school bus stop on Friday.

A relative of the victim in that fight was angry that Jessica and her friend did not intervene, according to Jessica's brother and sister.

"I feel like if someone had a problem with my little sister they should have come to big brother," DeUndray Davis said.

The shooting occurred after the bus dropped off the students and left. Jessica and the 16-year-old boy were walking home when a car pulled up, witnesses said.

Jessica Moses, who lives up the street from the where the shootings took place on Carriage Pointe Drive, said she called 911 after hearing gun shots and seeing two girls running up the street yelling that people had been shot.

Moses said she stayed with the 16-year-old boy as he lay on the ground. Another witness, Tiffany Williams, 16, said the boy ran down the street after he was shot until he fell to the ground.

"I told him to keep calm and that help was on the way," Moses said. "He was shot in the low left side of his ribs and he kept saying he couldn't breathe."

Williams said she was walking near Jessica and the boy when a burgundy car stopped. Someone stepped out of the car, words were exchanged and she heard gunshots.

"They hit the girl in the upper body," she said, "and then shot again at the male. I ran for cover. It was just crazy."

The person who was doing the shooting was not someone Williams knew from East Bay. She said he looked like he was at least 18, possibly older.

"To have two of my friends shot, I just wanted to hurt somebody real bad," Williams said. "What stupid people. They are going to get caught."

A car matching the description given by one of the witnesses was found, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

She said the shooter was a passenger in the car.

Sheriff's Capt. J.R. Burton said the office did not release the victims' names because the suspect had yet to be apprehended.

Resident Randy Borrero, who lives on the street where the shootings occurred, said he did not think the teens in the neighborhood fought often, but said there had been other problems such as a suspected drug house that brought a police SWAT team to the neighborhood.

He also said there was a stabbing incident in August.

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com. Reporter Chris Echegaray can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or cechegaray@tampatrib.com.

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