2 Tampa Police Officers Shot and Killed

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From TampaBay.com

UPDATE: Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said Officer Jeffrey Kocab's widow just went into labor with the couple's first child.

TAMPA — Two Tampa police officers were shot to death Tuesday during a traffic stop, police said.

Officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis, both 31, were shot in the head at 50th Street and 23rd Avenue, said Mayor Pam Iorio.

As the city reeled from the second fatal police shooting in less than a year, a massive search was launched for two suspects.

The male shooting suspect, a passenger in the car, was identified as Dontae Rashawn Morris, 24, an ex-convict with a lengthy arrest record and no known address.

The driver was identified as Cortnee Nicole Brantley, 22, no known address.

Police are seeking an arrest warrant for Morris on two charges of first-degree murder and felony possession of a firearm.

Both should be considered armed and dangerous, said Police Chief Jane Castor. "If you shoot two police officers in cold blood you've got to be considered very dangerous,'' Castor said. "It's our goal to get them off of the streets... It would be in their best interest to call and turn themselves in.''

Police and deputies from the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office established a command center at 3225 N 50th St. "We are searching for these killers as one unit,'' Castor said.

A flag flew at half-mast at the command station.

Morris was described as black in his mid to late 20s, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 150 to 170 pounds. He had a short afro and was last seen wearing brown shorts and a white T-shirt and a black vest. Police were looking for a 1994 red Toyota Camry they said was involved in the shooting.

Morris was wanted on an outstanding warrant from Jacksonville, police said. He shot both officers as they attempted to arrest him, and fled on foot while Brantley drove away, police said.

By 10 a.m., police had surrounded the Bristol Bay Apartments, about a mile from the shooting scene, and Hillsborough sheriff's deputies and SWAT members armed with semi-automatic rifles cordoned off Palm River Road at 50th Street.

At about 11:45 a.m., an ambulance arrived at the scene.

Castor declined to say what police were doing at that location but said it was among several leads they were pursing.

The incident began about 2:15 a.m. when Curtis spotted a car at 50th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that did not have a visible tag. The car stopped over at 50th Street and E 23rd Avenue.

Curtis asked for identification of both occupants and soon discovered that the passenger was wanted on an arrest warrant for a worthless check in Jacksonville.

Kocab was called for backup, standard procedure when someone is found to be wanted, police said.

Neighbors said they heard shots fired and the driver took off in the Camry. The shooting suspect ran away through an apartment complex at 3212 N 50th St., said Rose Dodson, 32, a resident there.

Police were combing that area, too, looking for evidence.

Another witness said she heard four or five gunshots. Chris Arline, 49, said she was buying a candy bar at a nearby Shell gas station when she heard gunfire. Her son thought it was a truck.

"That's not a truck," she said. "That's bullets."

Arline left the store and saw paramedics giving CPR to someone on the ground.

The shooting happened so quickly the officers did not have a chance to return fire or radio for help, Castor said. Both were wearing bullet-proof vests, but they did little good. They were shot at close range.

Castor said she did not know the type of gun that was used.

A passerby's 911 call, made six minutes after the car was stopped, was the first notice that the officers were down, police said.

Detectives issued an urgent plea for witnesses to come forward. They asked that anyone who was near N 50th Street and E 23rd Avenue about 2:15 a.m. to call (813) 231-6130.

Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay offered a $5,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest. Anyone who knows anything about the murders or the whereabouts of Morris and Brantley is asked to call 1-800-873-TIPS(8477), report anonymously online at http://www.crimestopperstb.com or text "CSTB plus your tip" to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).

Soon after the shooting, dozens of police and Hillsborough sheriff's deputies descended on the scene.

They set up a perimeter that stretched from MLK to Interstate 4 and 40th to 50th streets. Traffic was blocked in both directions for hours. The northbound lanes were reopened by 7:30 a.m.

Several hours after the shooting, about 100 cadets from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office dressed in grey formed a line and searched the crime scene for evidence.

At a second news conference, Castor said the suspected shooter's "best bet" is to give himself up.

"We'll take the search nationwide if we need to," Castor said. "We're going to find him."

Kocab and Curtis both died at Tampa General Hospital. Curtis's family kept his body on life support for several hours so his organs could be donated, police said.

Kocab left behind a wife who was nine months pregnant, who went into labor just a few hours after her husband died, said Mayor Iorio.

Kocab joined the Police Department about 14 months ago from the Plant City Police Department.

He was named Plant City Officer of the Year in 2007 for his role in the arrest of three multiple robbery suspects, according to a newspaper report. Kocab also closed a home invasion and homicide, in which men beat and robbed four immigrant workers. One of the men died.

Kocab also ran down an armed suspect charged with possession of drugs.

"I love law enforcement," Kocab told the Tampa Tribune in 2007. "But I really love being able to bring my energy to the street. I love to get the bad guys."

He joined the Tampa Police Department in 2009 and quickly made a name for himself as an "exceptional learner," who practiced "good community relations to boost the image of the Tampa Police Department among citizens," according to the officer's evaluation.

Kocab's supervisor, Sgt. R.C. Nassief, escorted Kocab on a call and watched him work.

"Officer Kocab maintained a stellar image and the victim was extremely pleased with his demeanor and the investigation," the supervisor wrote. "This type of attitude that Officer Kocab displays normally resolves the situation and restores the citizen's confidence in the Tampa Police Department."

His supervisor wrote that Kocab can look forward to a "great career" at TPD.

"I am very happy to be here and look forward to continuing my career here with TPD," Kocab wrote.

Curtis has a wife and four young children, Iorio said. A former Hillsborough County jail deputy, he became a Tampa police officer 2006.

Kocab's wife was in Kissimmee, and Curtis' family was in Sumter County,but both families gathered at TGH in the hours after the shooting.

Curtis has four children: Austin, 9; Sean, 6; Tyler, 5; and Hunter, 8 months.

His wife home schooled the boys, said neighbor Tyler Ward, 22. Curtis worked odd hours for the police department and spent all his off-time with his kids. He loved going four-wheeling, swimming in the lake, bass fishing on his pontoon boat, then grilling the fish for his neighbors.

Before he was at TPD, Curtis worked at the Hillsborough County jail taking fingerprints, photos, and booking inmates. But his goal was always to be out on the streets, said Corporal Howard Lindsey, 43, who worked with Curtis there for two years.

"He was an outstanding deputy, smart, enthusiastic, pro-active, respectful to everyone, even the inmates, never over-bearing," Lindsey said. "He always had to do something, always had to be moving. That's why he wanted to move out of the jail and go out on the streets. He jumped at the chance to become a law enforcement officer."

On his 2002 sheriff's office application, Curtis wrote: "I want to be a part of the criminal justice system so that I can do my part to keep people safe... I am the type of person who can step up, and take charge, get the job done, all while obeying the rules."

After the early-morning news conference, Iorio burst into tears when recounting the call she received at 3 a.m. from Police Chief Castor. As soon as she saw it was the chief calling she knew it wasn't good, Iorio said.

"She said 'Mayor, I've got really bad news. We've had two officers shot and one is dead.'"

Iorio said she remembered getting a similar call from now-retired Chief Steve Hogue when Cpl. Mike Roberts was shot and killed last year.

Roberts was shot to death in August 2009 in Sulphur Springs after he stopped to question a man pushing a shopping cart. Police later discovered that the cart was full of weapons.

Humberto Delgado, a former police officer from the Virgin Islands, was charged with first degree murder in that August 2009 shooting and is awaiting trial.

Iorio said it is "heart-wrenching" to watch relatives grieve the deaths of Kocab and Curtis. "It's just been overwhelming grief inside the hospital," she said.

"We are doing everything we can to help the wives and the family members," Iorio said. "It's just a very bleak day for us in Tampa."

The mood inside Tampa police headquarters downtown was also especially somber as officers and employees arrived for work.

Televisions in the main lobby and staff offices were tuned to news stations live from the scene. Flowers and candles were left at the fallen officer memorial just outside the building.

In the personnel department, a stack of extra programs from Cpl. Mike Roberts' funeral in August lay on a table.

Employees hugged each other as they boarded elevators. They dabbed their eyes with tissues as they answered their phones.

Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis remembered Curtis as a calm presence around the department. He often talked about swimming with his three Labrador retrievers in a pond outside his home, she said.

Chief Castor sent a department-wide e-mail at about noon that said TPD would remain in a state of mourning for seven days. She said the department's flag would remain at half-staff during that time and asked that officers in uniform wear black bands over their badges.

Several people who reside in Highland Pines, the neighborhood where the shooting occurred, said it is known for drug activity and kids fighting in the street.

Gunshots are rare, they say, but not surprising.

Shaquita Washington, 24, who lives in a duplex just a block from the scene, was watching TV when she heard gunshots. She immediately covered her 1-year-old daughter with her body and stayed there all night.

Washington learned what happened when she went outside about 8 a.m. She watched as deputies combed a nearby apartment complex armed with rifles.

Morris' criminal history in Florida dates back to at least 2002 and includes two stints in prison, records show.

He was released from prison April 4 after serving two years for cocaine charges.

He has been found guilty in Hillsborough County of obstructing or opposing an officer without violence, possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia, trespassing, possession of cannabis, possession of controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver, battery and delivery of cocaine.

In 2006, a jury acquitted him on charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, attempted robbery and possession of a short-barreled shotgun.

Police said Morris tried to rob 50-year-old James Harvey Wright. When Wright said he didn't have any money, a man shot him in the left arm.

On Tuesday, Wright said he still bears the physical and mental scars of that night. He now has three video cameras keeping watch at his home, he said.

"I wanted to see that guy behind bars five years ago," he said. "I'm lucky to be alive."

Cortnee Brantley's record includes a charge of giving a false name to a law enforcement officer in Temple Terrace. She pleaded no contest to that charge in July 2006 and adjudication was withheld.

As a juvenile, she was charged in Tampa with resisting an officer and petty theft. Records indicate that she received probation for the theft but are unclear as to the outcome of the charge related to the officer.

At one point Cortnee Brantley lived at 907 N. Parsons Ave. in Seffner. It's not clear when or how long she lived at the address.

Later in the morning police were posted outside Brantley's house. Officers said no one had been there all morning. They chased a reporter away saying it "wasn't safe."

At another previous address -- a small trailer park -- a woman answered the door and, in Spanish, said that she had moved into the trailer about two weeks ago and that she didn't know the people who had lived there previously. Neighbors said they didn't know anything about the former or current resident in the trailer.

I have received information that the female suspect has been captured.

May the rest of TPD stay safe-our prayers are with you-get the SOB and burn him!! Bonnie O'Brien Tampa Fl

I am a non-LEO, but do deal with them on a daily basis in my line of work, and I am appalled at what occured in Tampa. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and co-workers who have lost husbands, fathers, brothers, and more today. Also, may God watch over those men and women who are hunting down the scum who has done this.
Godspeed Officers, may you Rest in Peace.

[TPD2007]

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Our thoughts and prayers to the families of the two heroes. God Bless.

I am a citizen of New Port Richey. I drive to Tampa daily. Tampa police department is a class act. Many that I have spoken with in my travels have always displayed professionalism. I was listen to the radio this morning and heard the terrible news. I just want to thank each and everyone of you for making my daily commutes safe. Thank you for what you do every single day, rain or shine. Its amazing how a low life creep couldn't take his punishment like a man. Then again he isn't a man. I pray for both of these fallen officers and the families they have left behind. I pray for each of you who read this post and those men and women everywhere who serve and protect. Tampa brotherhood and sisterhood, I am truly sorry for your loss.

Please be safe out there.......

It is with a heavy heart that we realize just how precious our lives are. Each day we wake up, put on our uniforms or plain clothes and head out to do our assinged task of upholding and protecting the citizens of the State of Florida and our respective counties or cities. Today, two of our brothers met with two of those that we took an oath to protect....the system failed. We must now pull together in support of the families of our fallen brothers. Our prayers, love and support will help see the families through.

Brothers and sisters, stay safe and God Bless each of you.

My prayers to the families of the fallen officers. May the Lord's mercy rain upon you during this most difficult time. May you feel the Lord's pressence and peace. May you know that you are not alone. God Bless...

Once again TAMPA PD. Why Tampa PD? Why? Why ask questions then pull the gun? Why does this never happen in Pinellas?

no one ever wants to talk about this. THEY SHOULD SUE TPD. the training is just not there.

Your right, and remember they just went to the new gun and holster. They havent had time to become proficient with the new holster. A lot of officers are having trouble with the change. 6 hours of trainning is not going to make an officer proficient in drawing their gun. exspecially the crap holsters their using...

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and brothers and sisters in law enforcement.

Stay Safe!

ABT Agent Fort Myers