A 23-year-old man freed from prison just five months earlier is now facing attempted murder and a string of other charges after Hillsborough County deputies say he opened fire on two people fleeing on foot near an East Tampa office park Monday afternoon, hitting one of them in the back.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says 911 dispatchers received reports of shots fired at 1:49 p.m. on October 19, 2026, near the 6200 block of East Hillsborough Avenue, according to a press release from HCSO. Investigators said the gunfire happened at the Netpark business complex, a detail confirmed by WFLA, which reported the shooting unfolded in broad daylight at the East Hillsborough Avenue site.
According to HCSO, the man identified as Timothy Carter III fired a gun at two individuals as they ran away on foot. One of them suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the back and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, the sheriff's office said. HCSO also shared news of the arrest in a post on X
, noting that detectives located the firearm involved.
Firearm Recovered From a Trash Can
Detectives recovered the weapon used in the shooting from a nearby trash can, the sheriff's office said in the same release. Carter was taken into custody nearby as deputies worked to piece together what led to the gunfire near the busy commercial corridor.
The Tampa Free Press reported that the arrest followed what it described as a broad daylight shooting near the East Tampa office park, underscoring how the gunfire unfolded in a business area along East Hillsborough Avenue, per the Tampa Free Press.
A Lengthy List of Charges
HCSO says Carter now faces attempted murder in the second degree while wearing a mask with firearm discharge, aggravated battery involving great bodily harm or a deadly weapon firearm, and discharging a firearm in public or on residential property while wearing a mask. He is also charged with two counts of felon in possession of a firearm, robbery with a firearm involving less than $750, and tampering with physical evidence, according to the sheriff's office.
Carter had been released from prison in May 2026 after serving time for carjacking with a firearm, HCSO said, making him a convicted felon at the time of Monday's shooting. The sheriff's office also said the Tampa Police Department had issued an active warrant for Carter on October 8, 2026, for robbery with a firearm and felon in possession of a firearm, meaning he was already wanted before the East Hillsborough Avenue gunfire, per the same release.
Suspect's Record Draws Added Scrutiny
The timeline laid out by investigators has drawn attention from other Tampa Bay outlets covering the case. WENG Radio noted that the suspect had been released from prison in May and was already the subject of an active warrant, framing the arrest as a flashpoint in questions about repeat offenders, according to WENG Radio. My Suncoast also covered the arrest as part of its reporting on the East Tampa shooting, according to My Suncoast.
No further details on the identities of the victim or the second individual who fled the gunfire have been released. It also remains unclear how prosecutors will formally proceed with the charges HCSO has listed, as that information was not included in the sheriff's office's account of the arrest.
