Crime & Safety
3 People Killed, 1 Injured Inside St. Petersburg Home: Police
A suspect wanted for a Feb. 2 homicide at Emerald Apartments is now accused of killing people he lived with, investigators said.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Three people inside a St. Petersburg home were shot and killed Tuesday afternoon by a man that lived with them, St. Pete police said.
The shooting happened just before 4 p.m. in the 2900 block of Emerson Avenue S, detectives said. The gunman is Cornelius Whitfield, who is also a suspect in a homicide and attempted homicide at Emerald Pointe Apartments that took place Feb. 2.
The police department's SWAT team knocked down the front wall of the house to get to the victims, investigators said. The three victims were dead, and a 2-year-old girl was alive and unharmed. Whitfield was arrested on homicide charges and an attempted homicide charge.
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A fourth victim who escaped the house after being shot experienced non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Fifth Avenue South is blocked in both directions, between 28th and 31st Street South, as detectives investigate. Thirty-First Street is also closed in both directions from Fairfield Avenue South to Second Avenue South.
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