Dontae Morris, the man accused of gunning down two police officers during a 2010 traffic stop in East Tampa, will stand trial this summer in another murder case.
A judge this morning set jury selection to begin July 30 for Morris in the shooting of Rodney G. Jones, 42, outside a Tampa nightclub a month before the slayings of Tampa police Officers Dave Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab on June 29, 2010.
Jones, a father of two, was shot several times as he was getting into his car after leaving the Cotton Club, 2501 N. Albany Ave.
Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor was at a brief court hearing for Morris this morning but had no comment on the trial date being set.
Morris faces two other charges in connection with the May 31, 2010, shooting of Jones: attempted robbery and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Police said they linked Morris to the shooting through witness statements and text messages from his phone.
Morris had been released from prison the month before Jones was killed.
Morris is also facing first-degree murder charges in the June 8, 2010, shooting of Harold Wright, 25, and the May 18 slaying of Derek Anderson, 21, in what police said was an attempted robbery.
Police said the same gun was used in the killings of Curtis, Kocab and Anderson. The same-caliber bullet was used in the killing of Jones, but ballistics tests were inconclusive as to whether the gun was the same.
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