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CNN) -- Authorities were conducting door-to-door searches in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, looking for two suspects involved in an early-morning shooting that left two police officers dead.
Officer Jeffrey Kocab, 31, died after the incident about 2:15 a.m. ET near downtown Tampa, said police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. The second officer, David Curtis, 31, died later, authorities said.
Curtis had pulled over a vehicle and found its male passenger had an outstanding warrant for "minor violations," Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor told reporters. Kocab responded to back Curtis up, and "as they put their hands on the suspect, the suspect spun around, pulled a firearm and shot both police officers," she said.
Both Curtis and Kocab were shot in the upper body, Castor said. Asked whether body armor would have helped them avoid injury, she said no. The officers were shot at close range, she said. A witness called 9-1-1 to report the shooting.
Police K-9s had tracked the suspect to a location, she said, and door-to-door searches were under way.
"We haven't positively Identified a suspect, but we have a very good suspect in this situation, and there's probably a great deal more to it than just that misdemeanor warrant," Castor said.
Kocab leaves behind a wife who is nine months pregnant. Castor said he was "looking forward to being a father."
Curtis had four sons, ages 9, 8, 5 and 8 months, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said.
"This is an unbelievable tragedy for these families, and for the larger family of TPD, and for the larger family of the city of Tampa," she said. "Our hearts are just breaking."
Kocab had been with Tampa police for 14 months, McElroy said. Castor said he previously was with the Plant City, Florida, police. Curtis had been with the department for three years and eight months, according to McElroy.
Castor described both officers as "solid police officers and outstanding individuals" who both worked the midnight shift.
Police were searching for a red 1994 Toyota Camry connected to the shooting and an African-American male and female, McElroy said. The male was described as being in his mid- to late 20s and weighing about 150 to 170 pounds. He is thought to be wearing brown shorts and a white T-shirt, McElroy said. No description was available for the woman.

damn

I hope this is brought to a swift end.

Man. I was just reading this. The one guy's wife is set to have her baby any time and the other had 4 kids. And for what? Minor warrants.


Here's my question. Why do they SAY they don't know who this guy and his accomplice is? Didn't they have to run their name through the system to find out they had a warrant?

I can't even put my loathing for the shooter into words... he killed two police officers for "minor violations". Seriously... WTF. I feel so bad for the families and children left behind.

My guess is those "minor violations" would have become "major violations" had the police been able to search the car better.

Probably... but it still doesn't excuse what has been done.

I hope they throw the book at this sorry excuse for a person.

Azurephoenix said:

Probably... but it still doesn't excuse what has been done.

I hope they throw the book at this sorry excuse for a person.

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I hope they throw some magazines at him. 15 capacity Glock .40 magazines.

I like that idea even better.

I don't feel sorry for the suspect. Personally death would be too easy of an out for the guy. Too bad that U.S. is against torture.

I feel bad for the police officers' families. I cannot begin to imagine what they are going through. What a tragedy.

Sad result. Maybe I'm remembering wrong but, in the U.S., aren't traffic stops the job in which most police get shot/killed at?

Denbrought said:

Sad result. Maybe I'm remembering wrong but, in the U.S., aren't traffic stops the job in which most police get shot/killed at?

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Yes, it is more dangerous than delivering arrest warrants. Or kicking in doors to deliver arrest warrants...

---------- Post added at 03:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:42 PM ----------

That is why when you get pulled over, and you are asked to reach for your license and registration, the cop normally steps back and puts his hand on his gun.

It is stories like this that make me question if there is any hope for mankind in the long run

When you get pulled over for a traffic stop, get out your license, registration & proof of insurance while they are running your plate. Place these items on the dashboard and put your hands on the wheel. If you feel like it you can also turn off the vehicle and put the keys on the roof.

Do these things and the officer will be more inclined to talk to you and will make the whole situation less tense for everyone.

Dave said:

Man. I was just reading this. The one guy's wife is set to have her baby any time and the other had 4 kids. And for what? Minor warrants.


Here's my question. Why do they SAY they don't know who this guy and his accomplice is? Didn't they have to run their name through the system to find out they had a warrant?

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Borrowed or stolen vehicle? No ID on him? There are a number of possibilities on why they don't have a name. Perhaps they do and since it's a on-going investigation, they can't disclose it yet.

Dave said:

When you get pulled over for a traffic stop, get out your license, registration & proof of insurance while they are running your plate. Place these items on the dashboard and put your hands on the wheel. If you feel like it you can also turn off the vehicle and put the keys on the roof.

Do these things and the officer will be more inclined to talk to you and will make the whole situation less tense for everyone.

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consider this day and age, I just hand him/her my info and just sit still with no sudden movement

I once made the mistake of getting out of the car when i was in the back seat while the officer was writing a ticket. They did not react well. At the time I just thought they were being pricks, but the more I have come to understand the dangers that exist in a traffic stop the more I understand why they did that. These days I just pull out my information and sit still.

Also, this is a terrible crime. While I still under no circumstances support the death penalty, I hope they catch this guy and put him in jail for life. Killing a cop is one if not the most terrible crimes a person can commit.

Couple sought in deaths of 2 Tampa police officers - Yahoo! News

The suspect of the shooting is a two time loser, for trafficking cocaine.

They've caught the woman but the guy is still at large.

So she does not go down like Bonnie Parker.

Dave said:

When you get pulled over for a traffic stop, get out your license, registration & proof of insurance while they are running your plate. Place these items on the dashboard and put your hands on the wheel. If you feel like it you can also turn off the vehicle and put the keys on the roof.

Do these things and the officer will be more inclined to talk to you and will make the whole situation less tense for everyone.

Click to expand...

What I usually do is sit still with my hands on the steering wheel until they come over to my window. I get the information out when asked so they can see me doing it. I don't like moving around in the car, even just to reach for the glovebox, while the officer is still in his vehicle because I think it looks suspicious.

Yikes this is horrible. I hope they catch him and he gets what he deserves.

Traffic stops, depending on who the person is, can definitely be the most dangerous situation. Unlike the person in the car, the cop has no cover to duck behind, and he puts himself at huge risk just walking up to the window. Where are they going to go if someone pulls on them? At least when raiding a house or building you can use the walls of the house for cover.

Even sitting in the car can be dangerous. I was watching RealTV once, and they actually showed a dashboard cam of a cop doing a regular traffic stop for speeding. The guy in the car pulled over, jumped out of the car with an automatic weapon, and just fired it right into the windshield of the cop car until he ran out of bullets. Once he realized his clip was empty, he jumped back in the car and drove away. It was horrible to watch, and thankfully the cop in the car didn't get hit in any fatal areas. Still, very harrowing to watch.

I just read this one when I was coming back from Quartermaster.

I especially empathize for my one brother whose wife was 9 months pregnant. That's me right now. Every car I stop today is going to be more tense than usual, because my head's going to be there.

I'm not a praying man, but my thoughts and sympathies go out to the Kocab and Curtis families.

Wasabi Poptart said:

What I usually do is sit still with my hands on the steering wheel until they come over to my window. I get the information out when asked so they can see me doing it. I don't like moving around in the car, even just to reach for the glovebox, while the officer is still in his vehicle because I think it looks suspicious.

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That's what I've done. Plus when they saunter over I say 'Hello, officer, how can I help you?'

Awful.