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Off-duty officer likely saved lives during active situation, TPD says
Catherine Hawley reports
TAMPA, Fla. - An off-duty officer rushed into the unknown Monday night when he heard gunshots coming from a downtown Tampa apartment complex, potentially saving lives in the process.
Tampa Police Department Assistant Chief Ruben Delgado said during a press conference Tuesday that Officer Gig Brown was not working, but was in the area of Metro 510 Apartments, along East Harrison Street, just before 7 p.m. when he heard multiple gunshots.
Meanwhile, TPD dispatchers were being flooded with 911 calls regarding a shooter inside the building.
Officer Brown, who was carrying his firearm, ran into the complex’s courtyard and spotted someone on the fifth floor, armed with a semi-automatic rifle in one hand and a pistol in the other hand. Brown opened fire at the man but did not hit him; the gunman took off to a nearby stairwell, according to Delgado.
TPD Officer Gig Brown interviewed while working with AMI Kids, a non-profit helping at-risk youth serve their communities
As more officers arrived and began clearing the building, witnesses told them that the gunman had gone into a unit on the sixth floor. Delgado said Tuesday that unit was the alleged gunman's apartment, where he apparently was recently told he would be evicted.
Officers forced their way inside and found Samario Austin, who surrendered peacefully.
"Luckily, thankfully, nobody got hit," Assistant Chief Ruben Delgado offered. "I can’t emphasize it enough, the heroic actions of Officer Brown."
Police take Samario Austin into custody outside of Metro 510 apartments in downtown Tampa
Officers later found the pistol and semi-automatic rifle in the stairwell between the fifth and sixth floors. Police say a search of the complex yielded multiple spent shell casings on the third, fifth, and sixth floors and multiple bullet holes in walls, doors, and windows.
According to apartment management, Austin was served with a 30-day eviction notice back on July 21 for failing to pay rent.
Austin allegedly told detectives that he went on the shooting spree because he was mad, admitting he was also high at the time. He said he was targeting the apartments of people that "gave him problems."
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Video provided by Tampa police showed the man walking the corridor, shouting profanities while waving the handgun.
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No one was hurt, though one of his gunshots pierced a water main, causing a water leak.
"Due to the officer's quick action, multiple lives were saved," a police spokesperson offered.
Austin, 22, is now charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling and culpable negligence.