Advertisement
Tony Marrero - Hillsborough Law Enforcement Reporter
Tony Marrero

Hillsborough Law Enforcement Reporter

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. Tampa police Chief Brian Dugan announces retirement
    6 hours ago• Tampa
    Tampa police Chief Brian Dugan attends a news conference on Monday to announce his retirement effective Sept. 10. “I have been proud of what we have accomplished here together,” Dugan said.
  2. Skyway bridge suicides decline this year with new barrier in place
    Jul. 23• Transportation
    Traffic streams south Wednesday over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, where the new suicide prevention barrier has been completed.
  3. St. Petersburg barber shop owner found fatally shot inside car, police say
    Jul. 21• St. Petersburg
    In this screenshot from a video posted on Instagram in January 2018, Anthony Tyrone Link, owner of the ATL Barber Shop in St. Petersburg, talks about a "Unity for the Community" event Link hosted at the shop that month. Link, 37, was found fatally shot in a car on the 1500 block of 26th Street S in St. Petersburg on Tuesday night, police said.
  5. SOS Cuba protesters granted bail after being held in Tampa under ‘anti-riot’ law
    Jul. 15• Crime
    Protesters chant "they are killing us" in Spanish while blocking Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa on Tuesday in support of ongoing protests in Cuba.
  6. Cuba protesters in Tampa held without bail because of ‘anti-riot’ law, records show
    Jul. 14• Hillsborough
    Protesters block Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa in solidarity with ongoing protests in Cuba Tuesday in Tampa.
  7. Man fires at deputies, fatally shoots himself in standoff, Pasco sheriff says
    Jul. 13• Pasco
    A man fired at deputies before fatally shooting himself during a roughly two-hour standoff in Dade City on Monday, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.
  8. 2 dead, 2 hurt in Riverview after encounter between people in car, on bikes
    Jul. 13• Hillsborough
    Two people were fatally shot and two more were injured after gunfire erupted between two groups on Tribute Drive in Riverview on Wednesday, deputies said.
  9. Impaired driver arrested after causing fatal crash in Largo, police say
    Jul. 9• Crime
    A 23-year-old Georgia man was arrested in Largo on Thursday after he ran a red light and crashed into another car, killing the driver, police said.
  10. Authorities arrest man on murder charge after woman found dead in Tampa apartment
    Jul. 8• Hillsborough
    A woman found dead in a unit at the Willow Brooke Apartments in Tampa on Wednesday was the victim of a "domestic-related incident," deputies said.
  11. Elsa makes landfall in Florida’s Big Bend after weakening to a tropical storm
    Jul. 7• Hurricane
    A man watches as Tropical Storm Elsa whips up the Gulf of Mexico in Cedar Key on Wednesday morning. The storm made landfall about 11 a.m. Wednesday in Taylor County, according to the National Hurricane Center. Storm warnings remained in effect for parts of Florida's west coast.
  12. It’s a quiet day after Elsa in Tampa Bay
    Jul. 7• Hurricane
    John Pack, 52, fishes from the Dunedin Causeway following Tropical Storm Elsa Wednesday.
  13. Tropical Storm Elsa causes power outages but no major flooding so far
    Jul. 7• Hurricane
    A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite captured this view of Tropical Storm Elsa churning off the coast of west Florida early Wednesday.
  14. Approaching Hurricane Elsa extends Tampa Bay tornado watch to 8 a.m.
    Jul. 7• Hurricane
    Palm trees blow in the wind in front of an overcast Tampa skyline before Tropical Storm Elsa approaches the area on Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
  15. Tampa police identify armed man fatally shot by officer on July 4
    Jul. 6• Tampa
    This screengrab from body camera video released by the Tampa Police Department on Tuesday shows the moment John Reuben Turbe Jr. raised a gun and pointed it at Officer Bryan Velazquez on July 4, according to police. Velazquez then opened fire, fatally wounding Turbe, police said.
  16. Alerta de huracán emitida para Tampa Bay mientras la tormenta tropical Elsa se mueve hacia el norte
    Jul. 6• CENTRO
    Cono de ubicación y pronóstico a partir de las 11 a.m. del martes. [Centro Nacional de Huracanes]
  17. Hurricane Elsa forms as track shifts to a Tuesday arrival in Tampa Bay
    Jul. 2• Hurricane
    The five-day forecast for Hurricane Elsa.
  18. Elsa se fortalece a huracán, Florida permanece en camino potencial
    Jul. 2• CENTRO
    Los vientos con fuerza de tormenta tropical de Elsa podrían llegar a Tampa Bay el martes, según este gráfico publicado por el Centro Nacional de Huracanes el viernes 2 de julio de 2021.
  19. Bicyclist fatally struck by pickup on U.S. 19 in Hudson, troopers say
    Jul. 1• Pasco
    A 40-year-old New Port Richey man was killed Wednesday when he was hit by a pickup truck while trying to cross U.S. 19 on a bicycle in Hudson, troopers said.
  20. One dead, one injured in St. Petersburg shooting
    Jun. 28• St. Petersburg
    St. Petersburg police say Demario Thomas, 28, was fatally shot on the 1300 block of 13th Avenue S on Sunday while standing with a small group of people. Another woman whose name has not been released was hit and wounded.
  21. Tampa police increased its use of force in 2020. Here’s why.
    Jun. 15• Tampa
    A Tampa Police officer holds a less lethal shotgun as he watches a group of about 100 protesters take to the streets of downtown Tampa on June 2, 2020. The department said an increase in the use of so-called impact weapons such as rubber bullets and bean bag rounds in 2020 was due largely to civil unrest.
  22. One dead in shooting at Town ‘N Country intersection
    Jun. 11• Hillsborough
    Deputies work at the scene of a fatal shooting at the intersection of Waters Avenue and Anderson Road in Town 'N Country on Thursday night. A man got out of his vehicle at the traffic light and was shot by another man from inside his own vehicle, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
  23. Woman shot sister and buried body in back yard of her Carrollwood home, deputies say
    Jun. 11• Crime
    Karen Pais is the victim in a homicide investigation that led to the arrest of Pais' sister, Debra Patton. Patton shot Pais in the chest some time after May 24 and buried her in the backyard of Pais' Carrollwood home, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Friends said Pais was a generous woman who didn't want to kick out her sister despite tension between the two women.
  24. Man found fatally shot in car on I-275 in Tampa, police say
    Jun. 9• Hillsborough
    A 22-year-old man was found fatally shot behind the wheel of a car that had crashed into the median barrier wall on Interstate 275 near Busch Boulevard in Tampa on Tuesday, police said.