TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- After his admonition to "hunt the son of a b---h down" went viral, Tampa's mayor delivered another salty speech about the person or persons responsible for the shooting deaths of three people in Seminole Heights this month.
Bob Buckhorn told police officers at a special roll call Wednesday afternoon that the killer "is not taking over this neighborhood" and told officers to "hunt him down... and bring his head to me.... HUA!" ending with the military acronym for "heard, understood and acknowledged," used to express enthusiasm.
Buckhorn said police have been saturating the neighborhood, in uniform and undercover, insisting that they'll stay "as long as it takes." He says sanitation employees have been assisting, by clearing brush and other items that could be used as cover. Tampa Electric Company workers have been repairing lights to make sure the neighborhood is well-lit at night.
Buckhorn says Seminole Heights residents "may be fearful, but fear is not going to triumph." He says he could feel the "hope ratio" rise after his appearance at a Monday forum, which included the viral "s.o.b." remark.
The mayor and interim police chief Brian Dugan insists that families will be able to take their children trick-or-treating on Halloween next Tuesday. Dugan says he'll walk a beat in the neighborhood that night, and if asked, he'll walk with parents or children.
The police chief repeated his call for people who haven't registered their security cameras with police to do so, as they could provide valuable information.
The chief says a former Tampa police officer facing sentencing on tax charges, Eric Houston, gave detectives a name of someone from a prior investigation who could be a person of interest. Dugan calls it a "Hail Mary" attempt by Houston.