Trucker killed outside warehouse

The driver was waiting for the loading dock to open when he was robbed and shot, police say.

By Rebecca Catalanello and Casey Cora, Times Staff Writers
Published February 23, 2008

TAMPA - Roger Earl Lee should have been home in time for dinner with his wife Friday night.

The 65-year-old truck driver had been on the road for a week and a half when he pulled into a Tampa warehouse at 4:38 a.m.

This was his last stop before heading back home to Nicholls, Ga., to see his wife. The couple had marked their 40th wedding anniversary while he was away and it was time to get home to celebrate properly.

It's too early, a guard at the Clorox manufacturing plant and distribution warehouse told Lee when he approached Friday morning. The loading docks don't open until 8 a.m.

Lee turned back to his National Freight truck, parked just west of the plant at 3601 E Columbus Drive. Lee took off his shoes and started to rest, "just trying to get a couple hours sleep," a police spokeswoman said.

Ten minutes later, the guard heard gunshots.

Lee stumbled toward the security gate, screaming for help.

Then he fell and died at the scene.

Items were missing from his wallet, leading police to believe he was the victim of a robbery gone bad. Tampa police detectives are investigating. They released no suspect descriptions Friday.

"It's a nightmare," the victim's wife, Gloria Lee, 59, said from her home in Nicholls, where she was surrounded by family.

Roger Lee was the clean-cut, well-mannered boy Gloria met on a blind date in 1966, the night of her high school graduation. Two years later, they married and, together, they had two children, both now in their 30s.

"He was just a gentle person, easygoing," she said.

Lee had been trucking for 10 years. After 25 years working for a meat company, driving trucks offered a better wage for his family. He enjoyed seeing the country. And when he was home, he liked flying model airplanes.

Lee would be gone a week or two at a time and be back home for a couple of days - never long enough for his wife. She often worried when he was away and looked forward to relaxing at home with him again. This time was no different. She had an "inkling something was wrong," she said.

"I just wanted to get him home and cook him supper."

Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at 813 226-3383 or rcatalanello@sptimes.com.

[Last modified February 23, 2008, 00:42:34]