Arrest Made in 2015 Death of Teen Gunned Down in Yard

TAMPA, FL — The Tampa Police Department has announced an arrest in connection with the 2015 shooting death of an 18-year-old in his front yard. The shooting of Lyfe Coleman rocked the community and prompted multiple public appeals for information. It was the first murder recorded in the city of Tampa in 2015.

Police on Thursday, Dec. 1, announced the arrest of Reginald Bowman, 21, of Tampa in connection with the case. Bowman was brought into custody on Wednesday, charged with second-degree murder.

The incident that led to Bowman’s arrest unfolded in the early morning hours of Jan. 5, 2015. Coleman’s aunt was inside her family’s home in the 3100 block of Jefferson Street at the time. She heard her nephew yell and then two gunshots rang out, police wrote in an email to media.

When the aunt went outside, she found Coleman “lying in a pool of blood in the front yard,” the email said.

Police spoke with Bowman several times during the course of the nearly two-year long investigation. Their first encounter with him came after a visor found at the crime scene tested positive for Bowman’s DNA. The findings were returned to the police department from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on March 16, 2015.

“Bowman was interviewed and denied any involvement in the murder, saying he hadn't had any contact with Lyfe Coleman for two years,” the email said.

An anonymous tip led detectives back to Bowman, the agency said. The tipster told police to speak to a teen about the case. The teen, who has not been identified by police, initially told officers he barely knew Bowman. The teen, however, offered a different story during a second interview. The teen said that Bowman had talked about planning a robbery, the email said. Another tipster said someone was planning to sell a gun to Coleman and intended to rob him during the transaction.

“That tip was supported when a forensic analysis of the victim's cell phone showed recent communication regarding the possible purchase of a firearm,” the email said. “That communication led detectives back to Reginald Bowman.”

Coleman’s mother spoke with police shortly after Bowman’s arrest.

"Lyfe was my first-born son and I miss him immensely,'' said Sonia Coleman. "I want to thank the community for all their support. I want to thank Detective Neal Smith for his diligence in pursuing the case. I want to thank my work family for their support. And I want to thank his father; I know he was very diligent in keeping up with the case. I don't know how I would have through this without all that support."

Bowman was being held in the Hillsborough County Jail Thursday without bond.

Booking photo courtesy of the Tampa Police Department