Clearwater man faces murder charge in Ybor City shooting

TAMPA — Tampa police used Facebook to identify a suspect in a fatal shooting Saturday in Ybor City, leading to an arrest.

John Fitzgerald Chatman Jr., 19, was with friends about 3 a.m. Saturday in the 1600 block of E Fifth Avenue when the shooting happened, police said.

At that time, Christian Maffu, 20, of St. Petersburg was arguing in the area with two friends, Myron Londono-Montilla, 20, and Brandon Hernandez, 19, both of St. Petersburg. Chatman and his friends heard them and began taunting them, police said.

At some point, Chatman went to his nearby car and got a gun, police said. He then walked back to the area where Londono-Montilla was fighting with one of Chatman's friends.

Chatman pistol-whipped Londono-Montilla, police said. He then pointed the gun at Hernandez and threatened to shoot.

Seeing all this, Maffu punched Chatman in an effort to protect his friends, police said. But Chatman knocked Maffu to the ground and shot him. Maffu later died at Tampa General Hospital.

Detectives investigating the case identified Chatman as a suspect after interviewing witnesses and looking at his social media activity, according to Tampa police. They notified a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, which dispatched a team to Chatman's Clearwater home, where he was arrested Sunday afternoon.

In addition to second-degree murder, Chatman faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault. He was booked into the Hillsborough County jail and held without bail.