Two wounded by hotel gunfire still recovering

By SARAH SCHWEITZER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 2, 2000

TAMPA -- While two people wounded in Thursday's shootings at the Radisson Bay Harbor Hotel remained in hospitals Saturday, families of the slain victims continued to make funeral arrangements.

Jorge Cano, 40, was in serious condition at St. Joseph's Hospital. Jerline Dobson, 53, was upgraded to good condition at Tampa General Hospital. A third survivor, Charlie White, 43, was treated Thursday for a gunshot wound and was released.

The man charged in the shootings, Silvio Izquierdo-Leyva, remained in Hillsborough County jail without bail. Police say Izquierdo, a 36-year-old Cuban refugee, began a shooting rampage Thursday at the Radisson on the Courtney Campbell Parkway, where he shot four co-workers. After fleeing the hotel in a stolen car, police said, he abandoned the car near La Teresita restaurant, where he killed a motorist who refused to give up her car. He stole another car and was captured minutes later, police said.

The shootings left five dead.

Jose Rolando Aguilar, 40, a dishwasher at the Radisson, was among those killed. Family members said Saturday that they planned to hold a wake from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Florida Mortuary, 4601 N Nebraska Ave. His body will be flown to El Salvador, where he was born, said his niece, Jessica Aviles. He will be buried in La Union, where he grew up.

Relatives of George C. Jones, 44, a housekeeper who was killed, said they planned to have his body taken back to Alabama, where Jones was born. They said no date had been set for services in Alabama and no services were planned in Tampa.

A wake is planned for 6 to 10 p.m. Monday for Dolores Perdomo, 56, the woman who police say resisted giving her car to Izquierdo outside La Teresita. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Gonzalez Funeral Home, 7209 N Dale Mabry Highway.

An appearance of normalcy had returned to the hotel by Saturday afternoon. Its sign invited people to "Watch all the games at Damons."

No one stopped anyone from driving onto the hotel's property. In the restaurant, families and football fans ate and watched games on the big TV screens.

Guests splashed in the swimming pool or lined up at the front desk to check in. There were no signs of blood, bullet holes or bodies.

In an office down the hall from the lobby, however, manager Richard Lokan spent the day helping families of the victims make funeral arrangements. He declined to comment.

Times staff writer Linda Gibson contributed to this report.

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