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Tony Marrero - Breaking News Reporter — Tampa Police and Hillsborough Sheriff
Tony Marrero

Breaking News Reporter — Tampa Police and Hillsborough Sheriff

A Baltimore native, I've lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1998 and have been a reporter here for nearly that long. I joined the Times in 2009 and have covered beats ranging from from education to criminal courts. I now cover breaking news and general assignment stories in the Tampa bureau, which means I never know exactly what will come my way on any given day. I like that variety and enjoy digging to tell readers more about the big stories of the day.

  1. Troopers say it was two teens who jumped off Howard Frankland Bridge after crash
    Yesterday• Pinellas
    Investigators work on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Thursday after two teens fled from an attempted traffic stop, crashed and then jumped into Tampa Bay. One died, the other was seriously injured. [PETER TALBOT | Times]
  2. Hillsborough Sheriff faces challenge from the right in Republican primary
    Yesterday• Elections
    Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister, left, is facing former Sheriff's Office detective Brian Boswell in the Republican primary. [Staff/handout]
  3. Hillsborough deputies fatally shoot man wanted in Seffner shooting attack
    Yesterday• Hillsborough
    Deputies fatally shot Nicholas Kocolis, 51, just after midnight Friday as they tried to apprehend him at a Burger King in Dover, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Kocolis was wanted for shooting a man in Seffner Thursday afternoon and trying to shoot his ex-girlfriend and a good Samaritan who tried to help, deputies said. This photo was taken after a 2019 arrest. [Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]
  5. Here’s a list of expected Tampa Bay road closures for Vice President Pence’s visit today
    Aug. 5• Pinellas
    Vice President Mike Pence emerges from Air Force Two with his daughter Charlotte Bond moments after arriving at Tampa International Airport Wednesday. [DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times]
  6. Northbound I-75 near Fletcher Avenue reopens after crash
    Aug. 5• Hillsborough
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates. [Times]
  7. Tampa teen accused in Twitter hack linked to deadly home invasion, records show
    Aug. 4• Hillsborough
    Graham Ivan Clark, 17, of Tampa, was the "mastermind" of a July 15 Twitter hack scheme, prosecutors say. Now, records show he is part of the investigation into a fatal home invasion in January at an apartment in the Citrus Park area. At left is a message sent when Apple's Twitter account was hacked. [Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office | Twitter]
  8. Tampa bus driver injured after object penetrates window, police say
    Aug. 4• Hillsborough
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates. [Times]
  9. Woman injured in St. Petersburg house fire dies in hospital
    Aug. 3• Pinellas
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates. [Times]
  10. ‘Staring and laughing': Man charged in random shootings that injured five, including Tampa officer
    Jul. 31• Hillsborough
    Investigators work Thursday at the scene on East Hillsborough Avenue where a suspect opened fire on a Tampa police officer driving this patrol car. The officer was injured but will recover, police said. The suspect, Antonio Cruz Ortiz, was arrested a short time later. [LUIS SANTANA | Times]
  11. Suspect identified in shooting rampage that injures several, including Tampa police officer
    Jul. 31• Crime
    A Tampa police officer was shot and wounded late Thursday during what authorities call a shooting rampage that took place across the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County. Three people total suffered non life-threatening injuries and the shooter was captured. The officer was shot in the area of Hillsborough Avenue and N 43rd Street. [LUIS SANTANA | Times]
  12. A man opened fire while making a rap video, killing a young mother. But why?
    Jul. 30• Hillsborough
    Haley Portner Cox, pictured here on the GoFundMe page created by a family member, was fatally shot Monday while helping make an amateur rap video in Riverview. [gofundme.com]
  13. Man charged with murder in Lutz house party shooting
    Jul. 30• Hillsborough
    Brandon Jerelle Howard, 29, was arrested Thursday and charged with second degree murder in connection with a shooting at a Lutz house party on Wednesday. [Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]
  14. Tropical Storm Isaias forecast track moves east again
    Jul. 30• Hurricane
    The National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. advisory for Tropical Storm Isaias on Thursday shows the storm's path continuing to shift to the east, taking most or all of the Tampa Bay region out of the cone of uncertainty. [National Hurricane Center]
  15. Deputies investigating fatal shooting at Lutz house party
    Jul. 29• Hillsborough
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates. [Times]
  16. Tropical Storm Isaias likely to form today as track moves toward Gulf
    Jul. 29• Hurricane
    The National Hurricane Center's 11 a.m. advisory for Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine shows the system becoming Tropical Storm Isaias and skirting along Florida's Gulf coast this weekend. [National Hurricane Center]
  17. Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine could affect Florida as a tropical storm, forecasters say
    Jul. 28• Hurricane
    Tropical Cyclone Nine could arrive in Florida as Tropical Storm Isaias as early as Sunday but forecasters with the the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday there is still a great deal of uncertainty about the storm's path and intensity. [National Hurricane Center]
  18. Man fatally shot woman while filming music video in Riverview, deputies say
    Jul. 28• Hillsborough
    Jordan Jaime Silver, 20, was arrested Monday and charged with second degree murder and attempted first degree murder after he fatally shot a woman and critically injured a man while filming a music video in Riverview, deputies said. [Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]
  19. Woman killed, another victim injured in Riverview shooting
    Jul. 27• Hillsborough
    Hillsborough County sheriff's Col. James Bradford holds a news conference Monday morning at the scene of a fatal shooting on Clement Pride Boulevard in Riverview's Southfork Lakes community. One woman was a killed and a second person was injured. [Facebook]
  20. Atlantic weather system expected to develop into tropical storm or depression
    Jul. 27• Hurricane
    A system of shower activity in the Atlantic Ocean has a 90 percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. This spaghetti model graphic included Monday in Spectrum Bay News 9's tropical forecast shows the system could be be approaching Florida's coast by early next week. [Spectrum Bay News 9]
  21. One injured in St. Petersburg shooting
    Jul. 27• Pinellas
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates. [Times]
  22. The River at Tampa Bay church draws noise complaints, concerns about maskless congregation
    Jul. 24• Hillsborough
    A church band performs July 13 during The Stand, a daily event for the River at Tampa Bay Church that began May 31 and is set to end on Aug. 14. Residents who live near the church's Tampa campus say the music is penetrating their homes. [Facebook]
  23. Duke Energy repairing gas leak at St. Petersburg plant
    Jul. 23• Pinellas
    A gas line broke at the plant early Thursday at Duke Energy's power plant at 1601 Weedon Island Blvd. in St. Petersburg, prompting people in the area to call 911 about the odor of gas. [Google]
  24. Tampa officer suspended for failing to secure gun in teen’s fatal shooting
    Jul. 22• Hillsborough
    Tampa Police Officer Edwin Perez, shown here in court in 2014, has been suspended a week without pay for failing to properly secure his personal firearm at his Lithia home in December. A friend of Perez's teen son was accidentally shot to death with the weapon. [POOL PHOTO | POOL PHOTO]