TheeBadOne
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DADE CITY, Fla. (AP) -- A young man was arrested Tuesday in the sniper slaying of a Pasco County sheriff's deputy who was two weeks from retirement.
Alfredie Steele Jr., 19, was being held in the Pasco County Jail on a homicide charge in the death of Lt. Charles "Bo" Harrison. Harrison was fatally wounded Sunday as he sat in his patrol car near a Lacoochee nightclub.
He was shot in the back with a high-powered rifle. Investigators said they believe he was deliberately targeted.
"Although we have made this arrest, we must continue to work together with each community throughout Pasco County to ensure this type of tragedy never happens again," said Pasco Sheriff Bob White. "We owe that to Lt. Bo Harrison."
Investigators arrested Steele, of Lacoochee, after getting a tip. Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll would not comment on a possible motive, nor the circumstances of the 9:20 a.m. arrest Tuesday.
The sheriff's office also declined to say whether they recovered the high-powered rifle believed to have been used in the crime.
Steele's arrest was announced in the gymnasium of Pasco High School, where Harrison's funeral will be held Saturday.
Lawanda Doctor, who identified herself as Steele's sister, said the family did not want to comment on the arrest until they had more information from officials.
Harrison, 57, a road patrol supervisor, was parked across from Rumors Lounge in the parking lot of the Farm Basket store on U.S. 301 around 2 a.m. when shots were fired.
Other deputies left to investigate, leaving Harrison behind. When they returned, they found him slumped in his patrol car. Deputies thought Harrison had suffered a heart attack and called paramedics, who discovered a gunshot wound in his back.
Harrison died later at Dade City Hospital.
Harrison was the highest-ranking black officer in the Pasco Sheriff's Office and the first officer from the department to be killed since 1922, when a sheriff's deputy and a federal revenue agent were slain while investigating moonshine stills during Prohibition.
Lacoochee is about 40 miles northeast of Tampa.
Harrison was just two weeks away from retirement and was popular and respected figure in the rural communities of east Pasco. His colleagues had launched a wide-ranging search for the sniper.
"They know it's only the beginning of a long process in the justice system," Doll said. "They are relieved that it's a start."
Rozalyne Wright, Harrison's girlfriend of 10 years, was told of the arrest Tuesday afternoon by Harrison's son.
"That's encouraging that they made an arrest," she said. "I would just like to hear some additional information just to bring some clarity for myself as far as what happened and how it happened."
http://www.staugustine.com/stories/060403/sta_1581508.shtml
Alfredie Steele Jr., 19, was being held in the Pasco County Jail on a homicide charge in the death of Lt. Charles "Bo" Harrison. Harrison was fatally wounded Sunday as he sat in his patrol car near a Lacoochee nightclub.
He was shot in the back with a high-powered rifle. Investigators said they believe he was deliberately targeted.
"Although we have made this arrest, we must continue to work together with each community throughout Pasco County to ensure this type of tragedy never happens again," said Pasco Sheriff Bob White. "We owe that to Lt. Bo Harrison."
Investigators arrested Steele, of Lacoochee, after getting a tip. Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll would not comment on a possible motive, nor the circumstances of the 9:20 a.m. arrest Tuesday.
The sheriff's office also declined to say whether they recovered the high-powered rifle believed to have been used in the crime.
Steele's arrest was announced in the gymnasium of Pasco High School, where Harrison's funeral will be held Saturday.
Lawanda Doctor, who identified herself as Steele's sister, said the family did not want to comment on the arrest until they had more information from officials.
Harrison, 57, a road patrol supervisor, was parked across from Rumors Lounge in the parking lot of the Farm Basket store on U.S. 301 around 2 a.m. when shots were fired.
Other deputies left to investigate, leaving Harrison behind. When they returned, they found him slumped in his patrol car. Deputies thought Harrison had suffered a heart attack and called paramedics, who discovered a gunshot wound in his back.
Harrison died later at Dade City Hospital.
Harrison was the highest-ranking black officer in the Pasco Sheriff's Office and the first officer from the department to be killed since 1922, when a sheriff's deputy and a federal revenue agent were slain while investigating moonshine stills during Prohibition.
Lacoochee is about 40 miles northeast of Tampa.
Harrison was just two weeks away from retirement and was popular and respected figure in the rural communities of east Pasco. His colleagues had launched a wide-ranging search for the sniper.
"They know it's only the beginning of a long process in the justice system," Doll said. "They are relieved that it's a start."
Rozalyne Wright, Harrison's girlfriend of 10 years, was told of the arrest Tuesday afternoon by Harrison's son.
"That's encouraging that they made an arrest," she said. "I would just like to hear some additional information just to bring some clarity for myself as far as what happened and how it happened."
http://www.staugustine.com/stories/060403/sta_1581508.shtml