The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is investigating a shooting involving a Tampa Police Reserve Officer. Tampa Police also released video from a Hart Trolley that shows the shooting from a distance, which is provided below.
Two Tampa Police Reserve Officers were recently working traffic enforcement on the 600-block of Channelside Drive in the Water Street neighborhood near Sparkman Wharf when they encountered a 38-year-old black male.
The early investigation found the man threatened to shoot another officer and reached for his pocket immediately before the shooting. The male was hit three times and was taken to the hospital. He remains hospitalized currently in critical but stable condition, as of the last report from local law enforcement. The individual who was shot is Jaquan James Thomas.
The Reserve Officer who fired her weapon is a 46-year-old white female. Her partner, a 58- year-old white male, did not fire his weapon.
The Reserve Officers involved in the shooting incident are Shelby Riggs-Hopkins and Paul Spike Hopkins. Both have prior law enforcement experience before starting as TPD Reserve Officers in July 2023. In Orlando, she was previously in national news after a false positive on Krispy Kreme doughnut glaze for methamphetamine in a narcotics investigation. In 2020, he ran as a Democratic candidate for Seminole County Sheriff.
Reserve Officers are volunteer employees trained to provide additional personnel for emergencies or special events to allow more officers to remain on patrol duties. These volunteer officers do not have body worn cameras.
Investigators are reviewing surveillance videos in the area and speaking with witnesses as part of the ongoing investigation. FDLE is investigating this incident to include who he made the threats against. At this time, a gun has not been recovered.
Both officers have been placed on administrative leave from their volunteer duties and the FDLE will take the lead in the investigation, both of which are standard procedure for an officer-involved shooting.
The Tampa Police Department released surveillance video related to a shooting involving the Reserve Officer on December 28th. The video was provided from a Hart Trolley and shows the shooting from a distance:
