HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested a 19-year-old who was linked to a series of violent crimes over the course of several weeks.
Detectives said Jerome James Knight, 19, was arrested and is facing several charges.
The sheriff's office said detectives first responded to a homicide just before midnight on Dec. 22 at the Progress Village Recreational Center. When deputies arrived, they found a body inside the vehicle.
Less than a month later on Jan. 19, deputies were called to the Circle K gas station for a shooting.
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Detectives said the suspect shot one round into a vehicle with two children inside at the time of the shooting. No one was injured.
Two days later on Jan. 21, detectives responded to a double homicide in Riverview. Just after midnight, deputies found two people dead outside of a business.
Detectives believe all three murders occurred during drug deals where the victims were killed during the exchange.
Detectives were able to link Jerome Knight to all those incidents and arrest warrants were issued.
On Feb. 6, Knight was arrested in Michigan. On March 1, Knight was transported back to Hillsborough County and booked into the Orient Road Jail.
Knight was arrested and is facing the following charges:
- First-degree murder with a firearm (3X)
- Robbery with a firearm (3X)
- Shooting into a vehicle
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (3X)
“Despite Jerome Knight's attempts to flee rather than face the consequences for his violent crimes, our detectives were able to find him and bring him to justice with the help of additional law enforcement agencies, said Sheriff Chad Chronister. “As his actions have shown, this is a very violent individual."
