A federal jury in Tampa has found Emarjai Walker, 29, of Plant City, guilty of interference with commerce by robbery and discharging a firearm during a violent felony. Walker could face up to life in federal prison.
The verdict follows evidence presented at trial regarding an incident on April 5, 2020. According to testimony, Walker robbed a gas station at 2911 James Redman Parkway in Plant City just before midnight. After the clerk complied with his demand to open the register, Walker shot the clerk in the face. While the victim was lying on the floor bleeding, Walker fired another shot that narrowly missed the clerk’s head before fleeing the scene and leaving the victim behind. The injured clerk was discovered by a customer about ten minutes later.
Despite being disguised and masked during the crime, investigators said that the clerk recognized Walker’s mannerisms from previous visits to the store and identified him as the shooter while recovering in hospital days after the attack. Authorities also determined that following the incident, Walker conducted significant media research related to it and attempted to sell a .38 handgun one day after.
The investigation involved several agencies: Plant City Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Tampa Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Jim Preston and Brooke Padgett are prosecuting this case.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime,” according to United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).”
