28 Arrested In Ybor City Over Weekend As Police Increases Presence

TAMPA, FL — Following a weekend with a marked increase in law enforcement presence in Ybor City, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw announced that police made a number of arrests including the felony arrests of two 16-year-old boys.

Bercaw himself walked a beat in Ybor City Saturday night.

With assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Highway Patrol, about 100 law enforcement officers patrolled the streets of Ybor City from Friday to Sunday night on foot, bike and horseback.

The increased police presence came after the Oct. 29 shooting in Ybor City in which a 14-year-old boy and 20-year-old man died and 16 others were hospitalized.

Over the weekend in Ybor City, law enforcement made 210 traffic stops, recovered a gun, made 11 felony arrests and 17 misdemeanor arrests.

"There are two families who grieve the unfathomable loss of their child and countless other victims whose lives will never be the same," said Bercaw. "In the hopes of preventing a similar incident from happening again, we will continue to proactively patrol throughout the entire city and ensure that the city of Tampa remains a safe and enjoyable place for residents and visitors."

Bercaw said at least two other shooters are being sought and is encouraging anyone with video of the shooting to download it to a portal set up on the FBI's website specifically for all the video taken during the shooting.

"Our thoughts remain with all those affected by the senseless act of violence that occurred Sunday morning," said Bercaw. "We are doing everything in our power to bring everyone who was involved to justice, and we are asking for the community's assistance. If anyone has any information that could help us in our investigation, please do not hesitate to share that information with investigators so we can provide justice for the victims."

Tyrell Phillips, 22, turned himself in to police on Sunday for his part in the shootings. Bercaw said videos taken by bystanders confirmed Phillips' claim that he shot back in self-defense.

The shooting occurred in the 1600 block of East 7th Avenue at 2:47 a.m., just before bars and nightclubs closed at 3 a.m. Bercaw said this section of 7th Avenue is populated by the most bars and nightclubs.

About 50 police officers assigned to patrol the busy entertainment district rushed to the scene at the sound of gunfire. A Tampa Fire Rescue squad was also attending to a nearby call when paramedics heard the gunfire and showed up to provide first aid for the wounded.

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Bercaw said the shooting was due to a feud between two groups of people that knew one another, resulting in 14-year-old boy dying at the scene and a 20-year-old dying at the hospital from gunshot wounds. Their families have identified the 14-year-old as Elijah Wilson and the 20-year-old as Harrison Boonstoppel. Both are Tampa residents.

According to accounts from numerous witnesses, Wilson reportedly had a gun in his possession but didn't have time to fire it before he was shot dead.

Boonstoppel, a deaf resident who had a cochlear implant, was simply walking down the street with friends when shots broke out. He hit the ground to protect himself but was shot three times including once in the heart. He was taken to the hospital where he died.

Bercaw said the 16 people who were wounded, 15 from gunshot wounds, ranged in age from 18 to 27 years old.

"We understand that the feeling of being safe is a priority for our community," said Bercaw. "That is why we are committed to increasing the visibility of law enforcement in Ybor during the peak hours of activity. We believe this will help people feel more secure and allow them to enjoy their time here without fear or worry."

On Thursday, the Tampa City Council declined to close bars and nightclubs in Ybor City two hours early after businesses complained that the shortened hours would cut into sales, which haven't yet recovered from the pandemic.

The council also decided not to institute a curfew for minors and, instead, continue developing a new ordinance to make it illegal for groups too young to be admitted into Ybor City's bars and nightclubs and adults who congregate in parking lots after the bars close at 3 a.m. to hang out in parking lots along 7th Avenue.

The council has also asked the chief to put together a community policing plan for Ybor City to be reviewed by the city council.

During the city council meeting, Bercaw reviewed crime statistics for the area, noting that both violent crimes and disturbance calls are down in Ybor City over the past two years. Nevertheless, police responded to 585 disturbance calls with the Ybor City boundaries from January through September 2023, necessitating the need for more officers walking the beat.

"We have to do something," Bercaw said. "The goal is to ultimately eradicate the environment in the late-night hour and make sure Ybor thrives. But the police alone can't solve the problem. It's a community problem. During most hours, Ybor is a safe place. But between midnight and 4 a.m., violent crime doubles."

He said he's had a series of town hall meetings with business owners and residents to discuss solutions. They told him that, following the Oct. 29 mass shooting event and the national news coverage it received, Ybor City has become a ghost town. He said there's a perception that Ybor City is a dangerous place when statistics show crime is down.

"What's important today is we've got a dialogue going," he said, noting that both business owners and residents are opposed to the suggestion that the city cut the operating hours of businesses, closing at 1 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. "I do believe in free enterprise. It's not about punishing businesses. These crimes are occurring in an outdoor culture. How can we blame the bars?"

He suggested the city council start by studying a model adopted by the city of Orlando.

In 2019, the Orlando Police Department began a three-year project aimed at improving public safety and reducing crime in the city that has 290,000 full-time residents and millions of visitors each year.

With technical assistance from the Bureau of Justice Assistance National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC), IDEA Analytics, which has worked with police departments around the country including Las Vegas, Albuquerque and West Memphis, helped Orlando police identify challenges facing their analysts and officers, and helped the city enhance resources, develop strategies and ensure equitable police protection for the city.

When completed, the Orlando Police Department completely overhauled its crime analysis, and launched the Orlando Police Department Crime Center, improving crime rates while better serving patrol officers.

In March, Orlando Police Department Chief Eric Smith announced sizable drops in crime rates.

He said there was an 8 percent decrease in violent crime, including homicide, robbery, battery, carjacking and home invasions from the previous year. The number of shootings within city limits was reduced by 12 percent and gun crimes went down 47 percent.

“How does this happen?,” asked Smith, who took office in September 2022. “Reorganization of patrol has put more officers on the streets and the active police work of our specialty units, such as our gang, drug and TAC (violent crime) units, have led to our success.”

Several business owners argued that the Ybor City businesses aren't responsible for the violent crime in the historic business district.

Russell Simons, general manager of Cigar City Brewpub and victim of gun violence, said Ybor businesses have spent thousands of dollars to prevent crime, adding metal detectors or security guards to search purses and react to fights or other disturbances in their venues. Some have hired off-duty police officers on weekends. Many have employees attend quarterly classes on how to identify and handle patrons who've consumed too much alcohol.

"Guns are the fundamental cause of this issue," he said. "It's not the fault of business owners or people who want to enjoy a night out in Ybor."

His analysis was seconded by several other business owners as well as with city council member Lynn Hurtak who blamed Florida's liberal gun laws that have resulted in residents driving around with guns in their cars, which are inevitably stolen by criminals and juveniles that can't obtain guns legally.

Tom DeGeorge said he not only owns the Crowbar Ybor City, but he and his wife, a school teacher, own a home in Ybor City.

"The last three years have been the toughest I've ever dealt with. Many business owners now have metal detectors and bag check policies," he said. "Florida has one of most liberal gun control policies in the nation, and partying in the streets of Ybor is prevalent."

The combination of crowds of people drinking and taking drugs in the parking lots along 7th Avenue combined with Florida passing a law this year allowing residents to carry concealed firearms without permits has caused what used to be drunken fist fights to turn into Sunday's deadly shooting.

DeGeorge said the last random shooting occurred when the Super Bowl was played in Tampa.

One person was killed and three survived gunshot wounds when thousands gathered in the streets of Ybor City around 11:15 p.m. on Feb. 6, 2021, to celebrate the Buccaneers' victory.

Ivan Rivera, the president of the VM Ybor Neighborhood Association, said the association has worked for years to improve the community's safety.

"This whole thing is heartbreaking the way the media portrays Ybor City," he said. "People know who's armed and we need to revive the 'See something, say something' campaign. We have a lot of large-scale events that are being mismanaged."

Casey Ellison, owner of the Hotel Hyatt Ybor, said Ybor City is one of only a few historic National Landmark Districts in Florida.

"It's a special place and a major asset to this community," he said. "We need to do whatever it takes to protect this asset. Instead, Ybor City has turned into a giant parking lot filled with people that's very shocking."