Clearwater Police and Clearwater Fire & Rescue responded to the scene of a shooting with multiple victims near the intersection of Drew Street and U.S. 19. The call came in at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, March 8, 2021.
The four victims were shot while in one vehicle. The four victims were transported to local hospitals as trauma alerts. The most critically injured victim was flown by Air Life 3 to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa.
The incident occurred in the southbound lanes of the U.S. 19 access road just north of Drew Street. That’s when the suspect vehicle pulled alongside the victims’ vehicle and someone fired more than a dozen times into the vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The suspect car was described as a black vehicle similar to a Nissan Altima with faded paint on the hood. It has silver rims, dark tint and dual exhaust pipes. The vehicle was last seen headed west on Drew Street.
One of the occupants of the victims’ car, 18 year-old Ivon Cobbs, died after being flown to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa. Another occupant, 31 year-old Marshae Walton is in critical condition at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. Two others inside the car, 24 year-old Yvonne Sanders and 24 year-old Evers Maxie also were shot. Sanders is in serious condition, while Maxie is in stable condition at Bayfront.
Detectives believe that the victims were targeted and that the shooting was not a random act.
In the evening of Wednesday, March 17, 2021, US Marshals located the suspect, 19 year-old Derriontae Ward of Clearwater, at a relative’s apartment in the 13100 block of Belcher Road in Largo. Ward was taken into custody and transported to the Pinellas County Jail. Police say that this is Ward’s 37th arrest.
At the time of the shooting, he was out on bond from multiple previous criminal cases, including aggravated assault with a firearm, grand theft auto, burglary and leaving the scene of a crash with injury.
While out on bond, Ward was wearing a GPS-enabled ankle device. That device showed that he was at the same restaurant as the victims before the shooting. It also places him at the scene of the crime, where nearly two dozen shots were fired. Ward cut off the ankle device the day after the shooting.
Ward is facing the following charges: One count of 1st degree murder and three counts of attempted 1st degree murder.
“You often hear about initiatives to reduce sentences for people who have chosen a life of criminality. There is no doubt that a criminal like Ward is the beneficiary of those initiatives and the safety of the general public is sacrificed,” said Chief Dan Slaughter. “The recent increase in gun violence is directly related to Ward and a small band of criminals. There will be more arrests, but what we hope to see are consequences in the form of incarceration for the safety of the public.”
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Video from the scene of the shooting
