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2 Arrests Made In Slaying At Tampa Bottle Club

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By JOSH POLTILOVE and JASON GEARY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 11, 2008

Updated: 02/10/2008 11:45 pm

TAMPA - Three weeks after her husband was shot to death outside the Groovy Mule bottle club, Sesily Coleman has been able to rest only three to four hours a night.

Life is much harder now that her husband, award-winning educator Antonio Coleman, is no longer there by her side or to help her with everyday things such as cooking, cleaning or their children's homework.

"The people who shot him had absolutely no idea who they took away - the dad that they took away, the husband that they took away and the educator that they just swiped from these kids," she said Sunday. "They don't know the caliber of person that they snatched from us. They don't know."

Antonio Coleman, 36, was shot Jan. 20 while sitting in his rental car in the bottle club's parking lot. A bullet smashed through the rear window and hit him in the back of the head.

Raymond Torres Jr., 36, and Max R. Jasper, 22, were arrested Saturday and are being held without bail on first-degree murder charges in the Atlanta educator's death.

Jasper also faces a charge of aggravated battery with a firearm, jail records show.

J.D. Callaway, a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, said the men were involved in fight at the club near Waters Avenue and Dale Mabry Highway. They left, armed themselves and returned, he said.

Deputies responded to gunfire at the club about 6 a.m. and searched the area, according to a sheriff's office new release. They were called back to the club shortly after 8 a.m. after Coleman's body was discovered in his car.

Callaway said he couldn't provide many details on what led to the arrests.

The club was packed with people, and many scattered after the gunfire, Callaway said. Detectives had to track down witnesses and piece things together, he said.

Callaway said detectives recovered two firearms thought to have been used in the shooting.

Investigators don't think Coleman was the intended target or was in the club, Callaway said.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

Harold Hunter of Tampa said his older brother was an innocent bystander who likely pulled over to make a phone call or rest for a moment.

The father of three was named 2004 elementary school teacher of the year by Atlanta Public Schools and was in Florida to attend a technology conference in Orlando, his wife of eight years said.

He left the school system in December to work as a teaching and learning coordinator with Promethean, which provides technological equipment for classrooms.

"His whole world was educating kids and giving them a role model, giving them someone to respect," said Hunter, 34.

Hunter said his brother grew up in Tampa and was one of eight children.

Coleman was supposed to be in town for a short time to visit and watch a boxing match on TV, Hunter said.

Hunter and Coleman were going to meet up after the match, but they never did. Hunter said he fell asleep and later noticed Coleman had tried to call him about 3 a.m.

Coleman described her husband as bubbly, smart, well-read and always smiling. If something bothered him, she said, you'd never know it.

The arrests give her a bit of closure.

"I'm glad they're off the streets, because I couldn't get any sleep knowing that whoever that did this was still out there," she said.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691. Reporter Jason Geary can be reached at (813) 865-1505 or jgeary@tampatrib.com.

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