Tampa Serial Killer Update: After Mysterious Shootings, Police Urge Caution And Help Escort Kids To School

A potential serial killer has Tampa residents on edge, with police escorting children to schools and warning people not to go out alone at night.

Three people have been shot and killed within one mile of each other in the Florida city in the past two weeks, raising fears that there could be a serial killer on the loose. As the USA Today reported, officials have warned local residents to remain vigilant and have even changed some city bus routes to avoid the site where two shootings took place.

There did not appear to be a link between the three victims and no apparent reason for the shootings, which took place within a working-class neighborhood to the northeast of Tampa’s downtown. The shootings all took place within a span of 11 days, leading police to believe that they may have been connected.

Those who live close to the sites of the shootings say they are terrified, and many are not letting their children play outside.

“We don’t open the door or nothing. A lot of people are scared,” Maria Maldonado told the USA Today. “I’m scared for my son, for the neighborhood.”

Others said they were keeping concealed firearms with them as they walked and went to work in the neighborhood for fear of being attacked.

Residents are not the only ones scared of the Tampa serial killer. The city’s police chief, Brian Dugan, told WFTV that this situation is “my worst nightmare.”

Dugan even said he was fine with the media referring to the gunman as a serial killer, saying it helps bring more attention to the case. And in the days since the latest shooting, the Tampa serial killer has started to gain national attention.

Some Tampa residents are determined to stand up against the serial killer, People magazine noted. Several showed up for a march through the neighborhood where the killings took place, chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets!”

Tampa Police Hunt Possible Serial Killer: A 20-year-old man with autism is the third victim in what Tamp.. #news https://t.co/XPLeBGblZ7

— Ric Olsen (@Ric9871Ric) October 22, 2017

While police are warning residents to take caution, they are also working round the clock to catch the Tampa serial killer. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said dozens of officers have been put on the case and they are getting help from the FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

[Featured Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]