Exchange of bullets hospitalizes teen

Hit by return fire, he is in serious condition. A funeral home owner shot in the shoulder goes to work the next day.

By KATHRYN WEXLER

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 15, 2001

[Times photo: Thomas Goethe] John W. Harmon III shows how he held his gun as he returned fire during a robbery attempt at his funeral home.

TAMPA -- The ringing of his cell phone awakened John Harmon III early Monday with the usual: another body.

Harmon dressed, grabbed his .38-caliber pistol and steered his 1995 Chevy Corsica toward his funeral parlor, a few miles away on N 40th street. He intended to get a hearse and head to a South Tampa hospital to collect the body.

But as he pulled into the parking lot of Harmon Funeral Home, he found trouble. Two teenagers were on bicycles, circling suspiciously.

Harmon parked. He opened the car door. He dramatically pulled out his gun, then placed it in his holster, hoping to intimidate them if they were up to no good.

One of the youths rode off. The other, the skinny one in a white T-shirt and gray pants, was bolder.

As Harmon stepped out of the car, the teenager stopped a few feet away. He drew a .22-caliber gun.

"Tighten up! Tighten up!" the youth yelled -- street slang for "give it up."

Harmon, 48, would give up nothing.

"I locked my eyes on his eyes," Harmon said Tuesday, "and while I did that, I pulled out my gun."

Tampa police said the 15-year-old teen, Marlon Kelley, shot first. The bullet blew straight through Harmon's right shoulder.

Harmon felt a burn. He pulled his own trigger.

When it was over, Kelley was hit twice in the upper chest and once in each hand.

He raced away, and police later found him bleeding at 3420 E Comanche Ave. He was at Tampa General Hospital on Tuesday, in serious condition. He was charged as an adult with attempted homicide and attempted robbery.

Harmon didn't have to spend the night at the hospital. He was even back at work the next day.

"I'm thankful. I'm alive," Harmon said slowly. "I got a death call."

At Kelley's St. Petersburg home at 4010 Emerson Ave. S, relatives were awaiting word on his condition and what happened. Daemion Wilson, his uncle, said he was unaware of Kelley getting into trouble with police before.

"He's a pretty good decent kid," said Wilson, recounting how Kelley liked to write rap music and dreamed of one day getting into the music business.

It wasn't until two weeks ago that Harmon started carrying the gun he bought to protect his business.

It's too bad the encounter came to violence, Harmon said. His mother runs a youth service club, he said.

"We've always been about protecting kids," said Harmon, who also has a daily gospel show on WTMP radio.

"I knew I had to protect myself, but while this thing is unfolding, I'm thinking, "This is just a kid.' "

- Times staff writer Adam C. Smith contributed to this report. Kathryn Wexler can be reached at (813) 226-3383 or wexler@sptimes.com.

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