TAMPA, Fla. — When Sunnie walked out of her apartment complex Wednesday morning, she almost didn't notice the caution tape.
"I was looking down at my phone, ordering my Starbucks, and I almost walked into the caution tape, and then I looked down, and I saw a trail of bloody footprints," Sunnie said.
WATCH: Bloody footprints and unanswered questions: USF stabbing suspect was victim's roommate
Those footprints were in the stairwell she walks through every day at Halo 46, an apartment complex on North 46th Street in Tampa. Two people, one a University of South Florida student, had been stabbed there just hours earlier.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said a man called 911 just before 4:30 a.m. on June 3, reporting that he and another person had been stabbed at the complex. Both victims are in stable condition, and all individuals involved have been identified and accounted for, deputies said. One victim is a USF student, and the suspect is also a USF student.
As part of the stabbing case, HCSO also conducted a separate death investigation in the 3600 block of East Fletcher Avenue in Tampa, at the Union on Fletcher student housing complex.
Detectives believe the stabbing suspect, a USF student identified as 21-year-old Hansel Pearson, is the deceased individual involved in the death investigation. Deputies say Pearson and one of the victims were roommates at Halo 46.
For residents like Sunnie, who lives at Halo 46, and Wendy Collin, a resident at Union on Fletcher, the stabbing has done more than shake their sense of security. The stabbing has exposed what they describe as a failure of communication and a pattern of inadequate safety measures at off-campus housing near USF.
Neither Sunnie nor Collin said they were told by their apartment complex or the university what had actually happened.
Collin, who has lived at Union on Fletcher for nearly two years, said the building sent residents an email about traffic and a restricted entrance. Nothing more.
"They just kind of said that we can only use one of the entrances or exits for a few hours, and that there just might be a little bit of traffic, and that was all," Collin said.
She and her roommate pieced together the truth a different way.
"My roommate and I were leaving Wednesday, and saw a cameraman, and asked him what was going on," Collin said.
The university's outreach wasn't much more informative, she said.
"I got an email from them, and it was honestly very bland, and didn't really have much substance to it," Collin said.
Sunnie said she spent the morning trying to find answers on her own.
"I took a video of it and sent to my friends. I was so scared, I was petrified," Sunnie said. "We started looking it up and tried to find out what had happened. This was at like seven in the morning, and we couldn't find anything."
She said she eventually turned to dispatch logs and social media, trying to understand what had happened at her own home.
Both residents said the stabbing is part of a larger, troubling pattern near USF and that the conversation about student safety is not happening loudly enough.
"I just feel like the safety of students needs to be prioritized a little more, especially since it's not just a college town, and it is a bigger city," Collin said.
Collin said she noticed a security lapse at Union on Fletcher in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing that she found especially troubling.
"They opened up the parking garage gate for like 24 hours Wednesday, and it's just been open, and I feel like, especially after what happened, it should not be," Collin said. "I do wish our gate was closed a little more often, especially since we pay for it to be closed."
Sunnie, who is not a student and has lived at Halo 46 for more than 4 years, said she chose not to stay at her apartment Wednesday night. That's the first time she has ever felt that way.
"I was nervous about what had happened the night before, and I just didn't feel comfortable, honestly," Sunnie said. "I've always felt safe here. I come home late sometimes. I'm outside at night a lot, alone. I live alone. I've never felt unsafe here before."
She said she plans to return but will approach her daily routine differently.
"Just definitely be a lot more aware and cognizant of my surroundings, and maybe not look down at my phone when I'm walking from the parking garage to my car, and not be on the phone, and just be more aware and hyperactive of everything that's going on around me, more so than usual," Sunnie said.
Both residents said they want to see security become a permanent, visible presence.
"A lot of the times, we do have a marked security vehicle that's here on the weekends. It does get kind of rowdy here sometimes, and we do have security here sometimes, but I think it needs to be all the time, not just sometimes," Sunnie said.
She also called for cameras throughout the entire property.
"I think there should be cameras everywhere, not just in one or two spots around the property. I think they should be all over," Sunnie said.
Collin said she understands the tension between wanting more security and the financial reality facing college students.
"More security is going to lead to things being more expensive, and off-campus housing. This area is already really expensive, because they have a lot of amenities that people don't typically use, so I don't really know how that would go, just because I mean, being a college kid is hard as is on a budget, and having it more expensive wouldn't really help, but having more security would, so it's kind of a double-edged sword," Collin said.
She said the broader student response to safety incidents has largely been muted.
"I hear a lot of people just honestly say it sucks or make jokes about it because their rent is going to go down, but that's pretty much it. It's not super talked about," Collin said.
She believes that needs to change.
"Probably, because I mean, there was another USF student who died in a car accident, like, a week ago, and drunk driving, and no one's really talked about that. I just feel like the safety of students needs to be prioritized a little more," Collin said.
Collin said she and her roommate are planning to move in about a month, and the timing feels right.
"It's a little farther, and it just feels more like a home than like college apartment," Collin said.
The incident comes about a month after students told me about their safety concerns and how they were reconsidering their living arrangements following the murders of two doctoral students by an off-campus roommate at Avalon Heights. That complex sits about a half mile between the two complexes in Wednesday's stabbing.
The university said it will soon launch a recommended off-campus housing provider program that will include standards of service and safety. The voluntary program will require properties to commit to certain standards of service, safety and communication.
Althea Johnson, Senior Director of Media Relations for University Communications and Marketing, said the university recognizes the importance of student safety even off campus.
"While USF does not own, operate or manage off-campus apartments, we recognize the importance of the safety and well-being of our students wherever they live," Johnson said.
Collin said she wants to believe the university is following through, but hasn't seen enough yet to feel confident.
"They're saying it, but I don't really know what they're doing, so it's hard for me to say if they're actually doing it or not, if I'm seeing it, so I hope they're doing something, I mean, it'd be important for them to, but I don't really know much about it," Collin said.
Share Your Story with Jada
Jada Williams is focused on the issues that matter most to people in who live in Tampa and West Hillsborough County. From downtown Tampa to Town ‘n’ Country and Westcase, Jada works to bring you updates and solutions on everything from crime to infrastructure. Reach out to Jada below with your concerns for your neighborhood.
.
Brides left scrambling to find new venue after Red Mesa Catina suddenly closes
Brides are left scrambling to find a new venue after the sudden closure of Red Mesa Cantina and its event spaces.
