Police say two women were killed at an apartment complex, and a 45-year-old suspect now faces two first-degree murder charges.
ARCADIA, FL — A woman pleaded for her life before she was fatally shot, and a second woman was killed while on the phone with 911 during a double homicide at an Arcadia apartment complex on April 17, according to a newly reported account of the case and jail records.
The killings have shaken this small DeSoto County city as investigators piece together what happened inside and around the Jacaranda Trail Apartments on Hargrave Street. Police have identified the suspect as Eric Devon Robinson, 45, who was arrested the same day and is being held without bond. The deaths of Tanika Summers and Barbara Bates have drawn fresh attention because of the witness accounts, the emergency call and the broad list of felony charges now filed in the case.
Police first responded at 9:13 a.m. Friday, April 17, to a report of a shooting during what authorities described as a domestic incident at the apartment complex. Officers from the Arcadia Police Department and deputies from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office found one woman dead with multiple gunshot wounds. A short time later, Robinson was located nearby and arrested, authorities said. A later account reported by Gulf Coast News said Summers’ daughter came home from work and found Robinson holding Summers at knifepoint. Investigators said the daughter grabbed a gun in an attempt to help, but Robinson disarmed her and used that weapon to shoot Summers. Witnesses told investigators they saw Summers moving backward with her hands raised and heard her pleading with Robinson to stop before he fired. Those witnesses then ran to hide in a maintenance closet, according to the report.
The second victim, Barbara Bates, was found hours later in another building at the same complex. Police said officers were still at the scene when they were alerted at 1:09 p.m. to a second body in an adjacent building. Bates also had multiple gunshot wounds. A later report said Bates was on the phone with 911 when she was shot and killed. That detail added a grim marker to a case that had already begun as an active homicide investigation. Authorities have not publicly explained in detail how Bates and Summers were positioned in relation to each other in the moments before the shootings, or whether Bates had tried to intervene, flee or warn dispatchers. They also have not publicly released the full 911 audio, a probable cause affidavit or a detailed narrative from detectives. What is clear from the charges is that investigators believe more than a single shooting act occurred inside the complex and that the case involves allegations beyond the killings themselves.
For friends, relatives and coworkers, the story of Summers has quickly become part of the public grief surrounding the case. Summers was remembered by coworkers at Hello Beautiful Salon as a massage therapist who worked hard, drew loyal clients and kept a positive spirit. Adailys Cardenas said Summers was “beautiful inside and out” and loved her work. Megan Albritton said her clients helped build her business because they trusted her and referred others. Friends said Summers had been saving for a Habitat for Humanity home and was close to a major milestone. They said she was also preparing to help her teenage daughter pursue nursing school. Those details have given the case an added sense of loss in Arcadia, where personal ties often overlap across churches, schools, salons and neighborhood streets. Bates, too, was remembered by those who knew her as a hardworking grandmother with a constant smile, a woman whose death widened the pain far beyond the apartment complex where the shootings unfolded.
Jail records show Robinson is being held without bond in DeSoto County. The listed charges are extensive: two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, kidnapping-false imprisonment, obstruction of justice by tampering with evidence, firing a weapon into a dwelling and armed robbery. Those charges suggest investigators believe the violence moved through several stages, from restraint and threats to gunfire and actions after the shootings. Police have not publicly said whether prosecutors will seek an indictment, whether additional forensic testing is pending or when a fuller arrest affidavit may be released. Authorities also have not described the exact sequence of when each charge was added. But the scope of the counts indicates prosecutors are treating the case as more than an isolated burst of violence and may be relying on witness statements, physical evidence and the emergency call record to build the timeline.
There are also signs that investigators are still sorting through what happened inside the apartments before officers arrived. A local television report said Robinson made unusual remarks during questioning, including comments about an earlier prison case and a claim that he had spoken by phone with President Donald Trump about Palestine. The same report said Robinson asked how many counts he was facing and suggested there could be additional victims. Police have not publicly expanded on those remarks or said whether they have any bearing on the homicide investigation. They have also not released details about Robinson’s prior criminal record beyond the fact that one charge now alleges possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. In the absence of a full public affidavit, several important questions remain unresolved: who placed the first emergency call, exactly when Bates called 911, where the gun came from, how many shots were fired, and whether any children or other residents were inside the immediate area when the shooting began.
The emotional fallout has been immediate. A memorial has been placed at Summers’ work space, and people who knew both women have described the killings as a devastating blow in a city where violent crime of this scale can leave a long echo. Cardenas said Summers “would light up a room,” while others described Bates as kind, cheerful and devoted to her family. Habitat for Humanity representatives told local reporters that Summers never got the chance to buy the home she had worked toward, but they planned to give her daughter an opportunity to continue that dream. Family and friends planned a candlelight memorial for Summers at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the home she had hoped to move into. In the meantime, the apartment complex remains the center of a case that has turned witness fear, a desperate 911 call and two women’s final moments into the core evidence of a murder investigation.
The case remained active Monday, April 20, with Robinson jailed without bond and police saying the investigation is continuing. The next major milestone is likely the release of fuller court records or a first court appearance that lays out the prosecution’s narrative in detail.
Author note: Last updated April 21, 2026.