Man accused of dumping gun in Tampa pond after roommate shot to death

TAMPA — A Tampa man was fatally shot March 12 at his Tampa apartment and his roommate has been arrested on a charge of throwing the gun into a nearby pond, an arrest report said.

Deputies responding to a call about 11:45 p.m. found Aaron Taylor Jr., 38, shot in the chest at the Columbia Palms Apartments, 1902 E 131st Ave., according to the report. Taylor was taken to a hospital, where he died.

The 911 caller said someone had been shot and hung up, the affidavit said. Deputies re-established contact with the caller, later identified as 38-year-old Donald Mason Jr. Mason said he had been involved in a fight with Taylor and Taylor swung a knife at him, the report said.

Deputies found Mason in a truck at the front gate of the apartment building and spoke with him. He told them he had just returned from driving to a pond where he threw the handgun used to shoot his roommate, the report said. The pond is about three-fourths of a mile southwest, off St. James Place Drive.

Mason was arrested March 13 on felony charges of tampering with physical evidence and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was released on $9,250 bail.

Mason served eight months in prison in 2004 for cocaine and marijuana charges and for throwing or shooting an object into a car or building, according to state Corrections Department records.

Taylor served two years in state prison starting in 1999 on a charge of sexual battery on a minor under 12 and 20 months in prison starting in 2006 for driving with a suspended or revoked license, state records show.