Hillsborough state attorney’s office expands gun violence unit amid recent shootings

Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez announced Monday that her office is expanding its gun violence unit amid a rise of gun-related crimes in the Tampa Bay area.

According to Lopez, the expansion will allow prosecutors to work more collaboratively with law enforcement. Prosecutors in the unit respond to gun-related incidents alongside police to understand each case from the very beginning.

The unit began 15 years ago in partnership with Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative coordinated by the U.S. attorney’s office to bring law enforcement and prosecutors together to address violent crimes. At the time, one attorney was assigned to the division. The expansion will bring that number to five, including a chief, deputy chief and three lead trial attorneys who will exclusively handle gun-related crimes.

“As prosecutors, our greatest responsibilities are to the victims of crimes and protecting public safety. We must use every tool we can to fight gun violence in our community,” Lopez said during a news conference Monday. “By expanding the gun violence unit, my office will dedicate significant resources toward prosecuting these brutal crimes that tear families apart and terrorize our neighborhoods.”

Also at Monday’s news conference was Brucie Boonstoppel, who lost her son Harrison Boonstoppel, 20, to the Ybor City shooting that left 16 people injured and two dead last October. Boonstoppel worries about children growing up in Tampa who will continue to be exposed to gun violence.

“This is not something you just feel sad about one day. This is our every day,” she said. “We can all do something and we all have to do something.”

Boonstoppel says those engaged in acts of gun violence are getting younger. She’s afraid of the constant threat of gun violence giving young people anxiety and “taking away their love of life.”

Last year, in a six-month period, 143 guns were reported stolen, mostly from unlocked cars, Lopez said. She said social media plays a role because pictures of guns give kids more credibility among “fellow criminals.”

“In no scenario should a 14-year-old have a gun,” Lopez said. “Just because you’re a juvenile does not mean that you’re not going to be held accountable in Hillsborough County. If you shoot someone, you will be held accountable and be taken into adult court to face consequences.”