Indian Rocks Bridge reopens to traffic

The Indian Rocks Bridge has reopened to traffic in both directions, according to Pinellas Suncoast Fire and Rescue.

The eastbound and westbound lanes had been closed earlier this evening because of a serious car accident.

Check back with tampabay.com for more details. Check traffic conditions here.

--Times Staff Writer

2 men arrested in fatal Plant City shooting

Two men accused of robbing and then fatally shooting a man in Plant City were arrested today.

Eddie W. Blue, 21 of Plant City, turned himself in to the Orient Road Jail this morning in connection with the shooting. The family of the second man, Marcel Holloman, 19, turned him in to the Polk County Jail, said Sgt. Dale Peterson of the Plant City Police Department.

The victim was sitting in his car at 1306 Larrick Lane in Plant City just before 1 p.m. Thursday when two black men in their early 20s, dressed in black, approached him and demanded money, Plant City police said. They shot the victim in the upper chest and ran away.

Police have not released the name of the victim.

Blue and Holloman are charged with first degree murder, carjacking in possession of a firearm and three counts of robbery with a firearm. Holloman is facing additional charges of robbery, petty theft and two counts of battery.

Both are being held without bond.

---Times staff writers

Fire ravages Tampa apartment complex

TAMPA -- A fire that started in a third-story apartment spread to four others this afternoon.

About 40 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire at Royal Park Apartments on the corner of 56th Street and Sligh Avenue.They put it out in little over an hour, but not before the roof collapsed on the unit where it started.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is not yet reporting the cause of the fire or the exact amount of damage.

Fire Rescue Cpt. Bruce Delk said the woman who lived in the unit where the fire started was taken to the hospital because she was complaining of smoke inhalation. He would not release her name.

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer

Cab driver found shot dead

ST. PETERSBURG -- Police are investigating the shooting death of a cab driver who crashed into an apartment complex at 5420 26th St. S.

Police found Cyril M. Obinka, 43, of 69th Avenue S, unresponsive in the driver's seat of a Blue Star Cab around 9:45 p.m. Friday outside Palm View Apartments. Obinku was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Police first thought Obinku had died of injuries suffered in the crash. Further investigation revealed large amounts of blood in the cab and a gunshot wound to the upper body, according to Sgt. T.A. Skinner.

Police say they have no suspects in the case.

-- Donna Winchester, Times Staff Writer

Fire devastates Town 'N Country home

TOWN 'N COUNTRY -- A woman's home was heavily damaged Friday night by a two-alarm fire that threatened to harm neighboring homes.

The fire was quickly brought under control by the ten units that arrived at 9401 Bramble Court in the Town 'N Country area, and the second alarm was canceled. Her house was gutted, but no other homes were harmed, Fire Rescue Cpt. Bruce Delk said.

Nobody was injured by the fire, not even the two puppies that firefighters rescued from the burning house, Delk said. The home is owned by Yedy M. Laracuente, but Delk declined to confirm if she was the resident, saying the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Fire Rescue doesn't have an estimate of the damage yet, Delk said. It appears to have started in one of the bedrooms and then traveled to the kitchen, he said. All that remains are the exterior walls and the garage, he said.

The woman was in her garage when she heard the smoke alarm from inside her house. She went inside and was overcome by smoke, Delk said. Her two daughters were not home at that time, he said.

The damage to the home was severe, Delk said, and Red Cross was called to the scene. Neighbor Robert Agnes said the woman has relatives in the Town 'N Country area. He considers himself lucky because his house at 9403 Bramble Court was unharmed, but he felt sorry for his neighbor.

"Once it's gone, you can cry over it," he said. "You have to start over. It's just rough."

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer

Body found in trunk at Tampa apartment

TAMPA -- Police are investigating a suspicious death at Grande Oaks Apartments after Corey G. Bowden, 21, was found dead in the trunk of a car this morning.

A man called police just after 6 a.m. and said he saw a body in the trunk of a Ford Crown Victoria, Lt. Ronald McMullen said. He had noticed the body because Bowden's feet were hanging out of the open trunk.

Bowden lived at Grande Oaks Apartments with his mother, Elizabeth Bowden.

There were no signs of trauma, and the cause of death is not known, McMullen said. Police don't have any suspects yet, he said.

Relatives gathered at the scene this morning, comforting each other as police investigated.

"He was just naive to the world," said Eyvette Lewis, one of Bowden's aunts. "I can honestly say he was a good kid."

She paused and wiped away tears.

"He's my baby," she said.

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer

Gas leak sends six to hospital

CLEARWATER -- A gas leak at Einstein Bros. Bagels, 2519 N McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater, sent six people to Mease Countyside and Mease Dunedin hospitals this morning for treatment for carbon monoxide inhalation.

A Safety Harbor Fire Deparatment official said the leak was caused by a failed vent system.

-- Donna Winchester, Times Staff Writer