Men follow couple that just won big at casino, then shoot and rob them, Florida cops say
A couple cashed out after a big win at a casino, then they were followed home and shot, Florida authorities said.
Marcus Jenkins, 34, and Tristin Wright, 36, face an array of charges in Hillsborough County in connection with what deputies are calling an attempted murder. Neither has attorney information available in court records.
The victims, a man and a woman, visited the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa at around 1 a.m. Aug. 2, according to a motion for pretrial detention.
After several hours there, the man won $3,300 on a slot machine and cashed out before leaving with his girlfriend, deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Cameras from inside the casino show Jenkins follow the couple out of the casino and through the parking lot before Jenkins and Wright use another vehicle to follow them to a home in Riverview, deputies said.
When the couple pulled into the driveway, Jenkins got out of the car and held them at gunpoint, demanding money, according to deputies.
Five gunshots were fired, detectives said.
Ring camera footage shows the woman screaming and reaching for her calf as the man is lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his legs, saying he doesn’t have money, according to court records.
Jenkins is accused of stealing the man’s watch and the woman’s purse, which had $5 in it, before fleeing in a car with Wright, deputies said.
Wright wasn’t identified as the second suspect at the time of Jenkins’ Aug. 3 arrest but was later identified and arrested Aug. 12, records show.
Jenkins faces two counts each of attempted murder, robbery with a firearm and aggravated battery with great bodily harm, as well as one count of felon in possession of a firearm, records show.
Wright is charged with two counts of principal to aggravated battery with great bodily harm, two counts of principal to attempted murder and two counts of robbery with a firearm.
Deputies confirmed they’re still looking for a third suspect.
In an interview with WTVT, the couple urged others to be vigilant.
“Usually, I always pay attention to my surroundings, and if somebody is following me for that long, if a car follows me for that long,” the man told the outlet.
His girlfriend said their lives are changed forever.
“We can’t go back to who we were before that moment,” she told the outlet.
This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Men follow couple that just won big at casino, then shoot and rob them, Florida cops say."