The Temple Terrace Police Department is looking for a suspect in a shooting death that occurred at 4:50 a.m. Tuesday just miles from campus.
JoBree Platt, a 31-year-old man from Lutz, was shot and killed at Village Oaks apartments at Montravail Circle east of campus near Interstate 75 after Platt and a relative were confronted by a gunman who was described as a black male, about 64 and wearing all black.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering up to a $1,000 reward for information that leads to the identification or arrest of the suspect in this case, according to a City of Temple Terrace press release.
Because the shooting did not occur on campus, USF Police Department (UP) did not release emergency alerts to students, but they are aware of the situations that occur in the areas surrounding campus, Lt. Chris Daniel, UP spokesman said.
For an incident such as this, Daniel said UP monitors the situation to see if it is a concern for USF students. Situations that would lead to a heightened level of concern for USF specifically would depend on the proximity of the incident, if a series or chain of events occurred and if a high number of students were
affected, he said.
Be aware of your surroundings, follow your gut instincts, report any suspicious activities and travel in groups, Daniel said. If you are challenged by someone, do what you need to do to keep yourself safe.
Reporting by Meghan Mangram
