Thursday, December 26, 2024
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Five arrests were made in connection with the shooting on Easter evening in St. Petersburg

Today, Chief Anthony Holloway and Assistant Chief Michael Kovacsev announced three arrests for the shooting that occurred on Easter evening. During a large gathering outside of the Sonic Sports Bar and Lounge, 400 49 Street South, four people were shot. Thankfully, all of them suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Video from the shooting scene can be found below. 

Detectives immediately got to work to identify and find the suspects. They identified two houses connected to the suspects through investigative means: 526 Palm Avenue North in St. Petersburg and 5410 Trevesta Place in Manatee County. Both homes are rented by rap artist Rodarius Green, aka Rod Wave, or one of his businesses. 

The SWAT team served a search warrant at the St. Petersburg house on Monday evening and arrested two men on drug and weapons charges but didn’t find the shooters.

Early this morning in Manatee County, detectives worked with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Manatee County Sheriff’s Office to arrest three men involved in Sunday’s shooting: 

1.    Kevontre Wesby, DOB 08/26/2003, Attempted Second Degree Murder, Carrying a 
Concealed Firearm and Delinquent in Possession of a firearm. 
2.    Keith Wesby, DOB 04/11/2002, Attempted Second Degree Murder. 
3.    Christopher Atkins, DOB 08/19/1999, Attempted Second Degree Murder. 

Multiple items were seized during this investigation, including five rifles, five handguns, ammunition, over $10,000.00 in US currency, and miscellaneous pieces of jewelry. 

Since March 2022, St. Petersburg Police Department detectives have been investigating a violent group involved in drug trafficking and shootings. This group identifies itself as the “YG’s” or Young Gangsters, and several members have been seen with rapper Rodarius Green, “Rod Wave,” since the summer of 2023.

Three of the men arrested this morning are connected to the YG Gangsters. The YG’s live in residences and drive vehicles registered in Rod Wave’s name or his record label’s name. 

On April 3, 2024, at approximately 7:45 p.m., the two outstanding suspects in the Easter Sunday shooting turned themselves into the Pinellas County Jail.

Suspect# 1- Elias Torres ( DOB 10/11/1991) Principal to Attempt Murder 2nd Degree 

Suspect# 2- Willie Cookinson (DOB 10/03/1999) Attempted Murder in the 2nd Degree and Felon in Possession

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