Suspect arrested in connection to St. Petersburg hotel shooting

A man was arrested Thursday in connection to a shooting in the parking garage of a downtown St. Petersburg hotel that left two people injured, police said.

Bryton Dunbar, 31, faces three counts of attempted murder in the May 1 shooting at the Tru by Hilton hotel at 1650 Central Avenue. He also faces a charge of fleeing and eluding a police officer in connection to speeding away after being pulled over for a traffic stop on June 1, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police responded about 12:30 p.m. that day to a report of shots fired.

Officers found a 25-year-old man, and a 27-year-old woman suffering from gunshot wounds. The man was a valet for the hotel and the woman was a local resident who had stayed the night, according to police.

Both were taken to a local hospital after the shooting and were in stable condition at the time.

Dunbar fired at a third man who was not hit, police said.

According to an arrest affidavit, Dunbar was “ambushing” the people in the garage with a rifle. But as he tried to shoot at them, the gun jammed, deputies say. The man who was not hit fled away at that time.

The report states Dunbar then pulled a handgun out of his pants pocket and shot the valet and guest. Deputies say Dunbar shot the man in the torso and “stood over” the woman before shooting her twice in the face.

Investigators believe the shooting was targeted and that Dunbar knew at least two of the victims. Police did not release information about a suspected motive.

The investigation was ongoing Thursday.