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Gunman Sought After Death At Brandon Club

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By JOSH POLTILOVE and JOSH THOMAS, The Tampa Tribune News Channel 8

Published: October 18, 2007

BRANDON - Karen Taylor Williams had one of the most melodious voices her father ever heard, one so pleasing he'd shed a tear every time he heard her.

The Riverview woman was a wonderful person, Rowe Williams Jr. said, a single parent who went to church and did anything she could for her children.

Early Wednesday morning, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hillsborough County deputies are searching for the man they say fired shots inside a Brandon nightclub about 1:20 a.m., hitting Williams, who died at the scene. Deputies say she likely was an innocent bystander.

The sheriff's office has issued a warrant for Tyrone Lamont Grimes, 27, of Brandon, in connection with the shooting.

Williams was 36 and left behind two children and a stepchild. When the shooting occurred, she was standing in line to take a picture, Rowe Williams Jr. said.

The victim's parents are seeking justice and blame the club.

'What happened to her will not be in vain,' said Carolin, her mother. 'I will do something. It may not be in this lifetime, but I will do something to see that an end comes to this kind of foolishness.'

Witnesses say the shooter fired three shots from a revolver inside Club Fluid, 2016 Town Center Blvd. Clubgoers say the assailant argued with other men just before the gunfire.

The club had about 100 people inside at the time.

One of the clubgoers, Yohannes Samuel, said he was in the back of Club Fluid when the shooting occurred.

'It's not the type of stuff that happens up here,' he said. 'It could've happened anywhere, to be honest.'

Messages left at Williams' home and neighbors' homes were not immediately returned. Neither was a message for Club Fluid.

The club, known as Quench Bartini until recently, has a history of problems, Capt. Robert Spooner said.

The club had 78 calls for deputies in 2005, 81 in 2006 and 63 so far this year, Spooner said. He called the number of calls this year for service 'high but not outrageous.'

Last June, an argument outside the bar ended with two shots fired, a man and woman wounded and a suspect fleeing. Their injuries weren't considered life-threatening.

This year, deputies have received fight calls on seven occasions, robbery calls on three occasions and assault or battery calls on four occasions, Spooner said. Most issues at the club have been on nights catering to teenagers.

Wednesday's shooting didn't take place on a teen night.

Rowe Williams Jr. said he hopes someone will step forward with information about Grimes, of 403 Providence Road, Apt. 206.

'A justice system cannot work in a community without the community,' he said.

Records show Grimes was convicted of drug charges in 1999, 2004 and 2005. He also was found guilty in Miami of grand theft of a vehicle.

When the homicide call came Wednesday morning, an off-duty deputy working at Hooters on State Road 60 responded and was involved in a single-car accident, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

The cruiser flipped, and Deputy Chris Culter, 31, had minor injuries.

Culter, who has one year on the force, was taken to University Community Hospital as a precaution.

Anyone with any information about the shooting can call the sheriff's office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 873-8477.

News Channel 8 reporter Chip Osowski and videographer Chris Taylor contributed to this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib .com or (813) 259-7691. Reporter Josh Thomas can be reached at jthomas@wfla.com or (813) 221-5737

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