Tampa man accused of killing three in custody dispute over nephew

TAMPA — It started with a flash of anger and escalated quickly to a rapid succession of gunshots.By the time it was over, two lay dead in a house in east Tampa, while a third, a 23-year-old woman, eventually succumbed to her injuries at Tampa General Hospital.The shooting occurred at about 1:47 a.m. Saturday at a nondescript, beige-colored house at 2501 54th St. N.Investigators suspect Angel Luis Perez, 22, killed the three — his girlfriend, Olivia Miller, 22; Jorge Gort, his 25-year-old brother-in-law; and Brittany Snyder, 23, Gort's girlfriend — over a custody dispute involving Perez's 3-year-old nephew.Gort and Snyder were the first to die. Perez shot them inside the home, then returned to his car, argued with Miller and shot her too, police said. He then drove Miller to the hospital, where she died.A handful of neighbors reported hearing the shots. Some heard arguing."This morning, I was lying down playing video games on my phone and I heard like six gunshots," said Lavar Ivory, 37, who lives down the street. "I thought someone was outside shooting in the air."Lee Stokes, 45, was hanging out at the home next door. He said he walked to the street corner and saw a man and a woman, presumably Perez and Miller, arguing outside the house. He was yelling for her to "get in the f------ car," Stokes said.He said he couldn't count how many shots were fired but thought it sounded like an automatic weapon. "That thing was going off like bottle rockets," he said.Perez was arrested later at Tampa General, charged with three counts of first-degree murder, armed burglary, kidnapping and a felon in possession of a firearm.Neighbors said Gort appeared to be renting the home with Snyder, and that they moved in only a few weeks ago. They seemed to keep to themselves.On Saturday night, about two dozen family members and friends visited the house to remember the victims and share their grief. They affixed a photo collage of Gort, Snyder and Miller to a utility pole just outside and planted a couple dozen candles into the soft grass.Like others, family friend Francesca Burgoa, 31, wrestled with the seemingly senselessness of their deaths. Why would Perez shoot them? Why Olivia? What happened? she asked."They were going through a custody battle, but it wasn't that bad," Burgoa said tearfully, as many of the assembled gazed at the candles. "This wasn't about a custody battle. It was about jealousy and rage."Millie Gort chose to focus on her brother.Arrayed before her on the utility pole were a dozen pictures: his 6-foot-1 frame standing in the kitchen, mugging for selfies as well as scores of other shots, cheek-to-cheek with Snyder. One, seemingly a glamor pose with her in a bikini, eliciting a few chuckles from the group.Gort said her brother and Snyder grew up together, but their friendship grew deeper about a year ago."They just loved each other," she said.State records show Perez, who is originally from New Jersey, has been arrested 13 times in Florida. He was previously convicted on burglary and drug-related charges, and he was charged in 2013 with domestic battery by strangulation.He was being held Saturday in the Hillsborough County jail without bail. Times staff writers Dan Sullivan, Zachary T. Sampson and news researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Josh Solomon at jsolomon@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3446. Follow @josh_solomon15.

Tampa man accused of killing three in custody dispute over nephew

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