Following the murders of three people killed within a half-mile of each other in a 10-day period, the mayor of Tampa, Florida is under fire after he asked police to bring the “head” of the suspected serial killer to him.
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On Wednesday, Mayor Bob Buckhorn told officers during daily roll call in the Seminole Heights neighborhood to hunt down the suspected serial killer and “bring his head to me.”
FOX News affiliate, FOX13 Tampa reported Buckhorn made the impassioned comments following the deaths of two men and a woman who were shot dead in the neighborhood.
“We’re going to hunt this son of a b—- down until we catch him, and it’s gonna be you guys, it’s gonna be great police work doing what you guys do every day,” Buckhorn told officers before they headed out to patrol the area.
The mayor and interim Police Chief Brian Dugan told officers they’ve brought “a sense of calmness” to the neighborhood, which has been gripped by fear in the wake of the killings since Oct. 9.
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“This guy is not going to win. He’s not taking over this neighborhood, he’s not taking over these streets,” Buckhorn said. “You guys go hunt him down, and bring his head to me.”
While Dugan said police are still looking for the suspected killer who was seen on surveillance footage walking through the neighborhood after one of the killings, several residents and social media users took issue with the language Buckhorn used, calling it “medieval,” and something out of Game of Thrones.
People are being murdered in Seminole Heights and the Mayor is out here on some GOT type junk “Bring his head to me”. Excuse me? ๐๐๐ #Tampa
โ Wivvlenaire Jean (@wivvlejean) October 26, 2017
๐ณ Slow your roll bud. We all hate serial killers, but thatโs not how it works
โ Tim Arthur (@timarthur34) October 26, 2017
Judge, jury, executioner. What could possibly go wrong?
โ Judy Schear (@judyschear) October 26, 2017
this is how innocent people get killed.
โ ghoulinโ j ๐น๐ป (@symptomaddict) October 26, 2017
Someone’s been watching too many movies…
โ Laura Kenney (@lmagoon) October 26, 2017
Joff would be proud pic.twitter.com/y40JmXixYn
โ Dr. Mantis Toboggan (@MJ3_TB) October 26, 2017
His head ? What are we in Medieval Tampa ?
โ Liberty (@LibertyNotNukes) October 26, 2017
Officials are offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
Dugan promised worried parents that trick-or-treating will still take place in the neighborhood, adding he will “personally be on patrol” for Halloween night.
Photo credit: Twitter / @ONGazette