TAMPA, Fla. — A teenage murder suspect who is considered very dangerous was taken back into custody Sunday night thanks to surveillance techniques after he escaped a juvenile detention facility in Tampa earlier that same day, according to police.
“It was really a lot of old fashioned police work,” said Maj. Patrick Messmer. “We had done a lot of research into him last week to figure out where he might lay his head, who he might be hanging out with.”
Last Wednesday, Jahmir Moore, 15, was arrested on a first-degree murder charge. Police said Moore shot and killed Jevario Buie, 14, in April, near some railroad tracks. Detective believe a feud led to the shooting, but have not released an exact motive.
The victim’s grandmother, JoQuette Winters, said it was heartbreaking to wait seven months for an arrest in the case only to see the murder suspect escape a few days later.
“It was mind blowing,” she said. “Who dropped the ball at the facility?”
Deputy Chief Ruth Cate said that, during initial intake at the Hillsborough Regional Juvenile Detention Center, Moore was placed into general population and escaped while outside with other inmates in the fenced recreational area.
“We do not know how a young person in a secure facility was able to escape, but we have deferred that to the Department of Juvenile Justice,” she said. “They are doing the ongoing investigation and they assure us that they will come up with some answers and make corrections when needed.”
Detectives immediately began doing surveillance on Moore’s friends and family as they searched for him on Sunday.
“We did find him in the company of his parents,” Cate said. “I know there are questions. Will his parents be charged? But under Florida statutes, 777.03 accessory after the fact by parent, we cannot charge them.”
Cate said the parents have been as cooperative as they can be. Police say Moore was arrested about 11 hours after he escaped at a different home in the 100 block of W. Keyes Avenue.
“So, while there was surveillance being done on numerous people, he was not actually arrested at his parents’ house,” said Messmer. “He was arrested at a different location. There had been surveillance done. We did suspect that he might be inside that residence.”
Moore faces an additional charge of escape from a juvenile detention facility and has been transported out of Hillsborough County.
“I can assure everybody today that Jamir Moore is not in the general population anymore,” Cate said. “In fact, he is housed at a separate facility in Pinellas County.”
Winters said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw did a good job keeping the family informed and sent officers to their homes during the manhunt so they felt safe.
Monday evening, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice released a statement that said: "The Department has launched a full investigation into the events that led to this juvenile offender’s escape. Any failures or oversights that led to the escape will be identified, and those responsible will be held accountable."