Murders not random, investigators say

TAMPA - Investigators say a triple murder that happened in the Brandon area Tuesday was not random.

Two men were shot and one was stabbed to death, and detectives believe the victims and the suspects knew each other.

The murders happened behind a home on Oakwood Avenue just after midnight Tuesday morning.

Tuesday, investigators said they recovered the murder weapons from a storm drain, and they had gotten forensic evidence from a car found in the Orlando area.

Now, detectives are questioning people they say may be connected to the suspects.

"We believe these suspects came from out of the area, came specifically to the Brandon area to conduct this crime," said Larry McKinnon, with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. "So that’s why we're confident that this was not an act of random violence, and that the Brandon community and Hillsborough County in general does not need to be worried that these guys are just targeting people in general."

The sheriff's office identified the victims as Vincent Thomas, 22; Tony Black, 22; and Rafael Guadalupe, 21.

A fourth man, 21-year-old Ralph Arroyo, escaped the attack, but was beaten, and was found near the scene.