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Suspect Arrested In Strip Club Shooting; Mom Fights For Life

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By DAVID SOMMER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 28, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - A suspect has been arrested in the weekend strip club shooting that left a former dancer on life support with a bullet wound to the head.

Bryan Gregory Heater, 27, of 4333 Erie Drive, New Port Richey, was arrested on three counts of attempted murder Tuesday and is being held without bail at the Land O' Lakes Jail.

Details about the shooting remain sketchy. Authorities have said 27-year-old Kellie Zorka and her boyfriend, Anthony Monti, 32, were shot outside Diamonds Gentleman's Club, formerly Club 54, about 2 a.m. Sunday.

Pasco County Sheriff's Office spokesman Doug Tobin has said that Monti was shot in the arm and that Diamonds club bouncer Alexander Wilson was shot at but not hit. The altercation took place in the strip club's parking lot at Grand Boulevard and State Road 54.

Tobin said detectives have interviewed but not as yet arrested a man who was fighting with Monti.

"We do know the individual involved and have a number of witnesses," Tobin said. "The male victim knew at least one of the men" with whom he was fighting.

Zorka, who has an 18-month-old son named Donovan, remained in intensive care at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, where she was surrounded by relatives Wednesday.

"We are a strong family, and we are praying for her. We need everyone else to pray for her as well," her aunt, Mindy Adams, said.

Adams said her niece was on a ventilator and remains comatose.

Zorka had just begun a new career as a nurse.

The situation is "just heart-wrenching," Adams said. "This is a 27-year-old mother, single mother ...the love of her life is at home wanting to know where his mom's at."

Adams said the family was grateful to learn of an arrest.

"I don't know what the men's intentions were, but I'm just relieved that one of them at least is in jail at this moment," she said.

Rickie Strowbridge, a friend of Zorka's and former Club 54 disc jockey, described his friend and former co-worker as "a wild girl with a crazy heart who always brought a smile to your face."

He lamented that Zorka's son may have to "grow up without a momma over a stupid bar fight."

News Channel 8 reporter Claudia DoCampo contributed to this report. Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 815-1087 or dsommer

@tampatrib.com.

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