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Tampa Bay briefs

Briefs and news of note.

By Times Staff
Published October 13, 2006

Security firm worker from Hernando killed in Iraq

SHADY HILLS - He was 46, and his days as a U.S. Army Ranger were behind him. But Gerald Lambert Jr. missed the action.

In February, the bail bondsman, bounty hunter, and father of five signed up with SOC-SMG, a private security firm that operates in Iraq.

"(He) always wanted to be an ... action hero," said his brother Tom Lambert. "He felt that was his calling."

He was due home in a few months, but on Wednesday morning, a bomb went off.

Lambert was riding in a convoy somewhere outside Tikrit when one of the trucks was hit by an explosion. He ran from his truck to the one that had been hit and pulled two men to safety before he was killed in a second explosion, a statement from his company said.

"That's my husband," said Lisa Lambert, 46.

She had talked to her husband twice a day, including just a few hours before the attack. He was doing well, she said, but looking forward to coming home.

Hillsborough High student arrested after gun found

TAMPA - A Hillsborough High School junior was arrested Thursday, accused of bringing a handgun to school.

The 17-year-old student had an unloaded .22-caliber handgun in his backpack, police said. He was arrested about 10:30 a.m., after another student alerted a school resource officer.

It was the second time this week that a Hillsborough County student was accused of bringing a gun to school. They are the first guns found this year, said school district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe.

"They appear to be completely unrelated," she said. "It definitely concerns us. I hope it's not a trend."

Hillsborough High was on lockdown from the moment officers received reports of the gun until it was found about 11:15 a.m., Cobbe said.

On Tuesday, a 14-year-old Chamberlain High School student was arrested after police found an unloaded 9mm handgun.

The Times is withholding both students' names because of their ages.

Victim of Grant Park home explosion, fire is identified

TAMPA - Police have identified the man who died Wednesday in an explosion and fire at a Grant Park home.

Firefighters discovered the body of Mark Clayton Landrum, 25, of Tampa after putting out a 2 a.m. fire in the home at 3803 N 53rd St.

Another man, Kariem Nathan Johnston of Temple Terrace, suffered burns to more than 90 percent of his body.

Johnston, also 25, remained on life support Thursday evening at Tampa General Hospital, Tampa police spokesman Larry McKinnon said. TGH listed Johnston in critical condition.

Investigators have not released the cause of the fire, which destroyed the home. They are investigating why the men were inside the vacant house.

Landrum, who lived at River Glass Court in east Tampa, had an extensive criminal history, including state prison terms for convictions on possession and delivery of cocaine and trespassing.

Deputies seek roommate of woman shot to death

TAMPA - Deputies are looking for a man who fatally shot a 29-year-old woman early Thursday.

Leandra Johnson died after she was shot several times, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Deputies are looking for a man identified as her roommate. They have not released his name.

The shooting happened at 12:08 a.m. at the victim's home at Chateau Villa Apartments at 5904 E 122nd Ave., deputies say.

A witness told deputies that Johnson and the suspect argued. The suspect then grabbed a gun and fired several times, hitting Johnson. She was taken to University Community Hospital, where she died from the injuries, deputies say.

The suspect and victim lived together, but their relationship is unclear, deputies say.

Anyone with information can contact the Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.

- TIMES STAFF

[Last modified October 13, 2006, 05:37:36]