Neighborhood feels mix of grief, fear, anger
The killing of two homeless men is shocking.
By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN and ALISA ULFERTS
Published January 19, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG - In an alley near the spot where David Heath was gunned down, a makeshift memorial now stands at the foot of a tree.
A note from "a concerned neighbor" to "the family of the fallen man" says "we are so sorry for your loss." A friend left a letter calling him "a beautiful person." Others left flowers.
For residents of United Central, also known as Central Oak Park, the grief that led to the memorial is mixed with fear and anger. Many remained stunned that Heath and another homeless man had been slain within an hour early Wednesday, and that the killers were still at large.
"It makes you want to put the shells in the shotgun," said James Wilson, 54, who's lived near the area for 13 years and owns three shotguns. "This has always been a pretty quiet place to live, and we haven't had many problems."
Heath, 53, was shot in an alley near 43rd Street N and 7th Avenue. Jeff Shultz, 43, was shot just nine blocks away, in an alley at 3511 Sixth Ave N.
Police believe the same three teenagers killed both men. Witnesses at both sites told police they saw three black male teenagers with closely cropped hair walking briskly away from the bodies. Police say they appeared to be between 13 and 18 years old; one wore long pants while the other two wore shorts.
Sgt. Mike Kovacsev, head of the homicide unit, said officers and detectives were canvassing the neighborhood and local schools. Police say the killings do not seem drug-related, and Shultz may have been robbed.
Shock and fear continued to reverberate through the city's homeless community.
"This is an example of how the homeless are being targeted around the nation," said the Rev. Bruce Wright of Refuge Ministries, referring to recent high-profile cases, including the arrest of three teens accused of beating a homeless man to death last year in Fort Lauderdale.
How to help
Anyone with information can call police at (727) 893-7780.