Clearwater Police Identify Suspect in Double Homicide

It's any law enforcement nightmare. 

Guns and violence leaving casualties in the street.

In the wake of in the last five days, Clearwater Police Chief Anthony Holloway vowed to put an end to the violence plaguing the North Greenwood neighborhood in recent weeks.

Holloway said more resources will be poured into the area that has seen two gun fights, leaving two dead, in the last five days.

“They don’t want this, we don’t want this and the community leaders don’t want this (kind of violence in their neighborhoods)," Holloway said Friday in front of police headquarters. "We’re not going to put up with it.”

Holloway is worried that the escalation of violence might continue and as he vowed to crack the case, hours later police said Bryan Caldwell is the suspect involved in shooting William John Hamilton and Derrick Kelly Harris Sunday.

Holloway traced the spike in crime to when March 23 after witnesses saw them standing on a Clearwater apartment complex front porch with loaded handguns showing in their waistbands.

Police found several loaded handguns including a stolen .38 semi automatic, a .40 caliber semi-automatic and a .38 revolver.

Despite already having a high profile of officers patrolling the area, Hamilton, 30, and Harris, 23,  near La Salle Street and North Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Sunday (April 3).

Police were patrolling when they heard shots ring out shortly after 11 p.m. They found Harris surrounded by a crowd and dying from a gunshot wound. He was taken to Morton Plant Hospital where he died. Hamilton was dropped off by a friend to the same hospital but it was too late.

Caldwell, 22, is wanted for two counts of second degree murder and for being a felon in possession of a handgun, police said. Police said Caldwell is considered armed and dangerous.

Then, early Friday morning, outside Harris’ home at 1006 Metto St. A silver car, possibly a Kia Forte, drove by and peppered a small group of people with gunfire.

Tristan Hilton, 20, was seriously wounded and taken to Morton Plant Hospital. A second unidentified man received minor injuries trying to avoid the attack.

According to Holloway, police cannot say if the shootings are related, citing the ongoing investigation. He says they have no idea what the reason is for the violence because "there are a lot of things being said right now."

“The biggest challenge we’re having is that the people who were there when the (latest) shooting took place, they don’t want to give us information," Holloway said. "But…the community leaders are stepping forward, they’re bringing people in to us to talk to us.”

The Clearwater Police department encourages anyone with information on the shootings to call 727-562-4422 or text their tips hotline, TIPS411.