Tropicana Bradenton Shooting Suspect in Custody
April 16, 2024
Case #: 2023-004929
** UPDATED April 17, 2024: Charges against Demetrius Bell have been amended as follows:
Attempted Murder (previously Aggravated Battery with a Firearm)
Armed Kidnapping
Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (two counts - one for the June 5, 2023 shooting and one for his arrest on April 16, 2024)
Resisting without violence
The suspect in the June 2023 shooting of a coworker at Tropicana Bradenton and the armed kidnapping of a second coworker is in custody. 51-year-old Demetrius Tyrone Bell was arrested in Bradenton early Tuesday.
On June 5, 2023, Bell entered the Tropicana plant after his scheduled shift and shot a male coworker, causing serious injuries. Bell then forced a female coworker to leave with him. The victim was released in Hillsborough County two days later. Bell has been on the run since.
Monday night, the Bradenton Police Department’s Crime Reduction Team received information that Bell had returned to Bradenton. Bell ran from officers but, with the assistance of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit, he was spotted clinging to the roof of a storage facility in the 2800 block of Manatee Ave. E. Bell was taken into custody by BPD without incident. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit also assisted BPD with the search.
Bell is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, armed kidnapping, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be forthcoming.
If you have information on this case, contact Detective Beckley at jeff.beckley@bradentonpd.com or 941-932-9356. To remain anonymous and eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000, call Crime Stoppers at 866-634-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip at manateecrimestoppers.com.
Demetrius Bell (4/16/2024)