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ALEXANDRA ZAYASThe man -- hit six times Sunday night -- was the third victim in a week to report being shot with a BB gun.
TAMPA - Joe DuBose, 44, had a rough Sunday night.
He'd lost his job as a driver at Larsen's Towing Service and was on his way to turn in his uniforms for a final paycheck when he became the third victim in a string of BB gun shootings to hit Drew Park in the past week.
DuBose was walking near the intersection of Grady and Osborne avenues about 9:30 p.m. when a white four-door Toyota Camry approached him. Inside were two men in the front and two women in the back, all described as Hispanic, in their late teens or early 20s.
"The kid in the passenger side asked me if I knew where to find him some women," DuBose said at a Monday afternoon press conference at St. Joseph's Hospital. "I looked at him and asked "What's wrong with the ones in the back?' and that's when they pulled out the gun and started shooting."
The two males, both with BB guns, shot at DuBose, made a U-Turn and chased him while he ran for cover. He says they were laughing the entire time.
DuBose was hit six times: twice in the arm and twice in the back. One BB hit him in the throat, and another penetrated his bottom eyelid and lodged beneath his eyeball.
"First thing I did, I automatically checked to see if my eyeball was still in there," DuBose said. It was, but his vision was spotted and blurred.
He dropped his uniforms off at work and called Tampa police from a bus bench for help.
DuBose said he recently lived with a friend in Land O' Lakes but is currently "in between places." He lost his towing service job after "some bad accidents," he said.
He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital, and underwent surgery Monday afternoon to get the BB removed from his eye.
"They should have a little bit more respect for people," he told reporters before surgery. "I can't understand why people can go around and do this just to hurt people. That's not what life is all about."
The first shooting happened just after midnight Sept. 11. Scott Herbert, 38, was shot 18 times with a BB gun while walking on Lois Avenue near Cayuga Street.
Then, Saturday, 48-year-old Paul Kucher was riding his bicycle westbound on Osborne Avenue from Dale Mabry Highway, and was shot when a car pulled up to him near Hale Avenue. Kucher identified the shooters in a dark four-door car as white or Hispanic teens. He suffered minor injuries.
In each case, the shooters made no attempt to rob the victims.
Tampa police said the three shootings could be related and are asking people to call (813) 276-3200 with information that might help identify the shooters.
-- Staff writer Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 813 226-3354 or azayas@sptimes.com