A barricaded Central Florida suspect who shot at officers died by suicide from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On August 8th at approximately 3:40pm, a female in her late teens was walking through the Meridian Pointe apartment complex, located at 2450 E. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa, when she encountered her ex-boyfriend, 18-year-old Damarion Murray.
Feeling threatened as Murray appeared to be following her, the female immediately contacted Tampa Police Detective Bryan Tracey, the lead investigator on a previous harassing phone calls case involving the female as the victim and Murray as the suspect. Det. Tracey, already in the area, began responding to the apartment complex while requesting backup.
Murray pulled a gun from his waistband and began chasing the female into an apartment building, shooting at her twice. Thankfully, she was not struck.
At the top of the stairs, he held her at gunpoint, forced her into an occupied apartment, and barricaded the door, according to local law enforcement. Murray then called a family member, stating “Either she dies, or I die,” as the family member tried to convince him to let everyone leave safely.
Officers forced entry into the barricaded apartment as Murray ran into a back room. Determined to ensure the safe evacuation of the victim, as well as the four adult and three juvenile occupants of the apartment, officers just inside the doorway began yelling out orders for Murray to come out.
A gunshot was heard coming from the rear room of the apartment that Murray had run to, followed by a pause and another gunshot.
Immediately following the second gunshot and with the belief their lives were in immediate danger, Officer Joshua Williams, a five-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department with ten years of previous law enforcement experience, fired two rounds towards the back room.
After being informed Murray was the only remaining occupant, the officers quickly exited the apartment, and the Tampa Police SWAT team was activated.
Following a standoff that ended with a tactical entry into the back room, officers discovered Murray deceased in a closet from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A .380 Bersa pistol was recovered at the scene, along with evidence supporting the fact he died by suicide, which was confirmed by the Medical Examiner. Additional evidence shows at least one gunshot round was fired from within the room occupied by Murray toward the officers.
“This was a terrifying situation that could have ended tragically for many innocent people in an apartment complex filled with families and children,” said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw. “I am incredibly proud of the bravery and quick actions of our detectives and officers, who put their own lives on the line to protect the victim and the apartment occupants. It is fortunate that no innocent lives were lost.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement continues their investigation into the officer-involved shooting, which is standard protocol. The involved officer has been placed on administrative leave, which is also standard procedure for the Tampa Police Department.
