A Thonotosassa shooting that began with a driver apparently trying to help a stranger has ended with a 32-year-old Florida man facing an attempted murder charge.
The driver was traveling east on Main Street in Hillsborough County shortly before 1 a.m. on Sept. 29 when he saw a man walking along the roadway and waving a flashlight, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Believing the man might need help, the driver stopped.
Deputies say the encounter then took a violent turn.
Investigators allege the man along the road fired multiple rounds at the driver for reasons that remain unknown. The vehicle was struck five times, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver managed to get away and drove to a nearby gas station, where he contacted law enforcement.
“This man saw someone he thought needed help and stepped in. His kindness was met with violence,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in announcing the arrest.
Deputies arrest 32-year-old suspect
Detectives identified the suspect as Franklin Windham, 32, according to HCSO.
Investigators later obtained a search warrant for Windham’s residence. Deputies said they found a firearm there that was the same caliber as the weapon used in the shooting. Authorities have not publicly disclosed what led detectives to identify Windham as the suspected shooter.
Windham was arrested and faces several charges, including attempted second-degree murder with a firearm, shooting into or at a vehicle, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, discharging a firearm in public or on residential property and criminal mischief of $1,000 or more.
The charges are allegations, and the case has not been adjudicated.
The shooting occurred near Main Street and Grovewood Avenue in Thonotosassa, an unincorporated community northeast of Tampa. Local reporting also placed the incident in Thonotosassa.
Why the man allegedly opened fire remains unclear
One of the biggest unanswered questions in the Thonotosassa shooting is why the driver was allegedly targeted.
The sheriff’s office said the shots were fired “for unknown reasons,” and authorities had not publicly announced a motive as of Oct. 2. The identity of the driver also had not been released.
The sheriff’s office has not said that the driver and Windham knew each other before the encounter.
Chronister characterized the driver as someone who believed he was stopping to help a person in need.
“The suspect has been charged with attempted murder and will face the consequences for his actions,” the sheriff said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says the case remains an active investigation. Any additional information about a possible motive or other developments is expected to be released through the agency’s Public Affairs Office.
