Tampa officer's last words spoke of robber's gun

Police Officer Lois Marrero and the helicopter pilot overhead saw the shooter, according to court records in the case of his girlfriend, who bought the gun.

By AMY HERDY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 7, 2001

TAMPA -- In the last moments of her life, Tampa police Officer Lois Marrero knew she was in grave danger and asked for help.

"He's got a gun to me," Marrero said on her police radio as she chased bank robber Nester DeJesus on foot.

"Get officers to come here; air service is going with him."

Seconds later, Marrero could be heard saying, ". . . that gun," the last words she would speak before being shot by DeJesus.

The police helicopter pilot looked down as Marrero fell to the ground. But there had been no observer on board to track anyone's movements before the shooting.

These details emerged Tuesday with the release of court records in the criminal case against DeJesus' girlfriend, Paula Gutierrez.

Police say Gutierrez helped DeJesus rob a Bank of America branch in South Tampa on July 6 before the pair fled police and DeJesus shot Marrero.

Later, DeJesus killed himself after a standoff with police.

Gutierrez was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and burglary. If convicted, she faces life in prison.

Records show that Gutierrez bought the Mac 11 semiautomatic weapon used in the bank robbery and Marrero's shooting from a pawnshop in early June.

She told the clerk she was buying the gun for protection, "since Tampa appeared to be a violent city."

Marrero's family said the records released Tuesday raise more painful questions about the shooting, such as why the veteran officer would approach an armed suspect without her gun drawn, which police officials have maintained was the case.

The records contain "a lot of heartbreaking pieces of detail," said Lois Marrero's sister, Brenda.

In particular, a police helicopter pilot was overhead but unable to warn the officer of DeJesus' location.

An internal investigation of the police air service unit's role that day, and why a trained observer was not in the aircraft along with the pilot, has not yet been released.

Another witness said Marrero saw DeJesus and Gutierrez, and yelled at them as she approached.

Horst Albrecht told police that after yelling at them, Marrero came from behind a van and that DeJesus shot her as she approached them.

-- Amy Herdy can be reached at (813) 226-3386 or herdy@sptimes.com.

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