Four people are dead and more than ten are injured after a driver sped onto a sidewalk and crashed into the entrance of Bradley’s on 7th, a beloved queer nightclub in Tampa’s Ybor City. Authorities say the crash happened after police spotted two cars racing. The cars split up, and one, driven by 22-year-old Silas Kenneth Sampson, entered downtown Tampa. When officers tried to stop him, Sampson sped away.
Police said efforts to slow him down failed, and moments later, his car hit more than a dozen people outside the club. Three victims died at the scene and another at a local hospital. Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw, informed, “They were out in Ybor, having a good time, expecting to go home safely…And a careless, reckless driver takes everybody’s lives in his hands.” Club owner Bradley Nelson called the crash a horrific event. On Saturday night, over 100 people gathered at a vigil organized by Pride of Tampa to honor those lost and injured.
