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Death near USF campus leads to arrest

A man was found dead on E Fowler Avenue near the railroad tracks. Now police have made an arrest.
 
Eric McNeil Jr., 25, faces a charge of second-degree murder and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, police said.
Eric McNeil Jr., 25, faces a charge of second-degree murder and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, police said. [ Tampa Police Department ]
Published Oct. 22, 2019|Updated Oct. 22, 2019

TAMPA — A 25-year-old man faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of a man whose body was found last month near the University of South Florida campus, according to Tampa police.

Eric Darnell McNeil, Jr., faces one count of murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Officers were dispatched to N 22nd Street and E Fowler Avenue on Sept. 19 to investigate a report of a 24-year-old man found in the bushes, near railroad tracks, police said. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he later died.

Witnesses helped lead detectives to McNeill, who was arrested on Oct. 9. He is being held in the Hillsborough County jail on Monday in lieu of $357,500 bail.

Tampa police released no other details about the crime or the investigation.