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2 die in gunfight between gangs, police say
By SUSAN THURSTON, Times Staff Writer TAMPA -- Neighbors described it as an old-fashioned gunfight. Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, two men died during an apparent shootout between rival gangs. Witnesses said at least two cars circled the neighborhood around Forbes, Sydney and Jerry Smith roads in Dover, west of Plant City, exchanging gunshots. "There was a whole lot of gun firing going on," said Dianne Gradillas, who called 911. "It was all around." Shell casings littered the area Sunday afternoon. Deputies did not identify the two people killed but said the victims were Hispanic and in their 20s. They were headed north on Forbes Road when they were shot, and their car coasted into an orange tree north of Sydney Road. Deputies found them dead at the scene. Between 10 and 20 shots were fired before the car hit the tree, next to a field of black-eye and zipper peas. Gradillas feared that a stray bullet might enter her mobile home, where her two grandchildren, ages 10 and 7, were visiting. Sheriff's officials spent the day combing the area for clues. The streets were cordoned off for several hours, and helicopters searched overhead. Neighbors said the shooters were long gone by the time anyone knew what had happened. Sheriff's officials said the shooting might be connected to an earlier drive-by shooting in Dover on Saturday night. In that case, a man was shot in the torso about 11 p.m. at an undisclosed location. His injuries were not life-threatening. "There were a lot of gang members floating around the Dover area last night," Lt. Rod Reder of the sheriff's office told reporters. The area has been known for gang activity for years, Reder said. Several members and groups have been identified as active in the area. Residents said the shootings were a troubling way to start out Father's Day. "I just hope they weren't fathers," Gradillas said. "But they were somebody's sons."
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