The Truck Ran Up On The Curb He Was Dodging In And Out Of Traffic

news press, Mar 01, 2005

Police were still searching Tuesday afternoon for a well-dressed man who climbed out of a new sport utility vehicle Monday and shot and killed another driver while the two were stuck in rush-hour traffic near one of Lee County's busiest intersections.>

The late-afternoon shooting — which police are calling a case of road rage — set off a series of events that shook two Fort Myers neighborhoods.

Detectives are searching for the gunman who killed Tranard Campbell, 21, of Fort Myers, on Colonial Boulevard near the intersection with DeLeon Street.

The trouble began shortly before 4:15 p.m. when a white Firebird driven by Campbell started weaving in and out of southbound traffic on U.S. 41, according to Fort Myers police. At some point, he cut off a dark-colored SUV, possibly a Cadillac Escalade.

The SUV chased the Firebird south on U.S. 41, and both turned west on Colonial Boulevard where they soon got stuck in traffic.

The intersection of Colonial and 41 is one of Lee's busiest. About 46,100 cars drove daily past Colonial and 41 in 2003, according to county records.

Police say the SUV's driver got out of his vehicle while stopped on Colonial Boulevard near DeLeon Street, walked up to the Firebird, lowered his gun through the open T-top and shot Campbell in the head.

The gunman then got back into his SUV and sped away, hitting a couple of cars and a light pole before disappearing, police Sgt. Mike Carr said.

A woman in Campbell's car managed to squeeze into the driver's seat and drive less than two miles to 1421 Davis Drive, where she called 911, police said.

Campbell was taken from that house to Lee Memorial Hospital, but was dead on arrival, authorities said.

Court records show Campbell was arrested numerous times in Lee County since 1998 on charges such as possession of cocaine with intent to sell, driving without a valid driver license, resisting arrest without violence and leaving the scene of an accident.

In several cases, the charges were dropped for lack of evidence. But Campbell was put on probation and fined a few times, and spent time in and out of jail for violating probation, failing to pay fines and failing to appear in court.

As police arrived at Davis Drive, another vehicle — a red Nissan pickup — took off from that address, prompting a sudden police chase through Fort Myers.

"Of course we thought it had something to do with the shooting," Carr said. "It turns out it was not involved in the shooting. They were just cleaning house — getting stuff out of the house before police arrived. They had guns."

That chase led police down Fowler Street and through the Dunbar community.

Shaun Ullrich, 24, was heading north on Fowler Street when he saw the pickup and parade of patrol cars.

"(The truck) ran up on the curb," he said. "He was dodging in and out of traffic."

The chase ended several miles away on Broadway near Braman and Moreno avenues, where police flattened three of the truck's tires with Stop Sticks. They took four people into custody, including Campbell's cousin, Dontrell Campbell, 18, of Fort Myers.

Michael Pierce, 20, of Fort Myers was standing with friends in his church's parking lot at Broadway and Moreno when he saw a helicopter buzz overhead and the pickup barrel past a stop sign followed by seven to 10 police cars.

The truck veered across Broadway, went up on the grass and swerved onto Braman before stopping. A man jumped out of the passenger's side and ran across the street, witnesses said.

"He just took off running," Pierce said.

That's when Shirley Kaiser, 60, who lives at the corner of Braman and Broadway, spotted the man.

"I saw him out my front window. He started running in my front yard ... I thought he might try to come in and I got up and locked my door," she said.

The man cut to the side of her house and ran through her backyard — followed by police.

"Cops came from everywhere," she said.

The group disappeared and gunshots rang out, Kaiser said.

"I heard boom, boom, boom," she said. "I could smell the (gun) smoke in the air."

Police later said the shots came from an officer who tripped over a fence and was met with an aggressive dog. The officer and the dog were not injured.

While officers chased the man, more police surrounded the truck with guns drawn.

Pierce said he saw an officer bash the driver's side window with a baton and drag the driver out of the truck. He put him on the ground and handcuffed him. A woman and another man in the back seat were taken into custody.

Moments later, officers captured the fleeing suspect and hauled him away in a police car.

Police searched the red pick-up, which had a turquoise couch and chair in the truck's bed. They pulled two semiautomatic assault rifles from underneath the furniture.

Dontrell Campbell was charged with warrants for drugs, resisting arrest and failure to appear in court. Michael Thomsen, 35, of Fort Myers was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Officials did not release the other two people's names and said charges are pending.

Back on Davis Drive, neighbors mulled about their front lawns, shaking their heads and taking in the police activity in what they said was a usually quiet neighborhood.

Most neighbors said that no one really knew the fairly recent occupants of 1421 Davis Drive, but many people suspected strange activity there, with cars pulling in and out without headlights at all hours of the night.

None of the residents on Davis Drive said they were comfortable giving their names.

"A lot of people around here have told us they suspect drug activity at this house," Carr said.

Lee County sheriff's detectives searched the home shortly after 9 p.m. They found several weapons and are verifying the owners. Investigators also discovered items that may be stolen and linked to other crimes, said sheriff's spokeswoman Ileana LiMarzi.