TAMPA, Fla. — As Tampa, Fla., police officers searched Wednesday for the man suspected of killing two of their colleagues, the police chief warned against helping him.
Police Chief Jane Castor said she does not believe Dontae Rashawn Morris could have avoided the massive manhunt without assistance, The Tampa Tribune reported. She said anyone aiding his escape will face charges.
“We’ve got a jail cell right next to Mr. Morris,” she said. “If somebody is harboring him, they are going to face charges.”
Morris, 24, allegedly shot officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab early Tuesday morning as they tried to arrest him on a misdemeanor warrant from Jacksonville. Morris has an extensive criminal record and was released from prison earlier this year.
Cortnee Nicole Brantley, who was driving the car in which Morris was a passenger, was questioned for hours Tuesday and then released without charges.
Morris’s family released a statement late Tuesday asking that he be allowed to surrender safely.
Curtis and Kocab, both 31, had about four years experience as police officers. Kocab transferred to Tampa 14 months ago from the Plant City department.
Kocab’s wife, nine months pregnant with their first child, went into labor Tuesday, but the contractions stopped.
Copyright 2010 U.P.I.