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3 wounded by gunmen searching for cash
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET, Times Staff Writer
DADE CITY -- They came with guns looking for money. When they didn't find it, they shot one man in both legs. Then another man in the torso. A third man who tried to chase them was shot in the leg. They went through each room of the house at 13238 Johnson St., leaving a trail of bloodstains and 9mm bullets. Two women who watched were terrified. And all they got from the 10:15 p.m. Thursday heist in Carver Heights was a man's necklace worth about $100, according to reports. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is looking for the three gunmen, who sped away from the home Thursday night in a white Ford Ranger and a blue or purple car, possibly a Cadillac, reports said. But the investigation is moving slowly because the victims are providing little information, sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said. "It looks like (the gunmen) were looking for money," Doll said. "But all the questions of what money, or how they knew there was money there, those are all unanswered." Quinson Croson, 24, the man who lives at the Johnson Street home, told detectives he had never seen the gunmen before. Croson was in fair condition Friday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, recovering from gunshot wounds to both legs. His friend Corey Richardson, 20, of Dade City who was shot in the abdomen, was in good condition at St. Joseph's. Charles Edward Thomas, 18, of Dade City was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg, although his condition was not available Friday. Croson was talking to a woman in his driveway Thursday night when the gunmen pulled up, the report said. One man came up to Croson with a rifle, took his necklace and told him to get in the house, the report said. Another woman was in a bathroom when she heard the men storm into the house. She tried to run into a closet to hide, but one of the gunmen pulled her back and raised a rifle to her head, the report said. Then he pushed her to the floor and left the room. Shots rang out. She could hear him asking, "Where's it at? Where's the money?" She could hear another voice answering, "I ain't got nothing." When another man came into the room, she begged for her life. "Honey, I don't know these people," she said. "Please let me go. I got four kids." In a quiet voice, he gave a quick reply. "Go." She went to the back door and tried to open it, but it was locked, and she was shaking. Then she heard the sound of a rifle being cocked, and the first gunman asked her where she was going. She told him the other man said she could go. Then she opened the door, ran across the backyard and jumped over the fence. She heard a gun shot and later told deputies she thought it had been intended for her. Authorities withheld the names of both women because they are witnesses, Doll said. Anyone with information may call the Pasco County Sheriff's Office toll-free at 1-800-854-2862. -- Bridget Hall Grumet covers crime in east Pasco. She can be reached at (352) 521-5757, ext. 23 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6108, then 23. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com
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