TAMPA, FL – On Monday, authorities apprehended a man in Maryland, who is believed to have stabbed two people to death at an apartment complex in Tampa over the weekend. The accused, Jean Pierre Ojeda Salazar, 25, was captured by U.S. Marshals Task Force. However, it was not disclosed exactly where he was taken into custody in Maryland. Salazar is now in jail in Montgomery County, located northwest of Washington, D.C.
The alleged stabbing incident occurred on Sunday morning in the 14000 block of Riveredge Drive, Tampa, which claimed the lives of a 14-year-old girl and a 35-year-old woman. The police suspect that Salazar attacked the victims after an argument, and then fled the scene in a white car, which he later abandoned.
In a public statement, Chief Lee Bercaw said, “Mourning the loss of a loved one, after their lives were taken in such a tragic manner, is unfathomable.” The victims were reportedly a mother and her daughter, according to neighbors. Demian Dellarco, a resident of the apartment complex, reported seeing a distressed friend of the victims seeking help.
Dellarco, who called 911, said, “For me, it’s not normal, this situation…I live in here five years. So secure here.” As for the victims, Dellarco added that they were relatively new to the complex, having just moved in a few months prior.
Salazar was formally charged with first-degree murder with a weapon, second-degree murder with a weapon, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.