TPD officer killed in line of duty

Cpl. Mike Roberts was shot and later died as a result of a confrontation with a homeless individual. Not so ordinary an individual, according to Assistant Chief Jane Castor (a Seminole Heights resident), the shopping cart had been heavily armed. Police found two 9mm Glocks, a .22 caliber pistol and the AR-15 assault rifle in his possessions. The cart was full of military gear.
The officer left behind a wife and a three year old son. For those who would like to make a donation to this family the information appears below:
A memorial fund has been set up for the family of Corporal Mike Roberts. Donations can be made to the Tampa Police Memorial Fund.Send checks to 411 N. Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602 with the memo, Cpl Mike Roberts Memorial Fund.

In addition to sending a check to the memorial fund, an account has been set up with Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union. The account number is"538412" and donations can be made at any credit union in the Tampa Bay area. Make checks payable to Cynthia Roberts or the Tampa Bay Police Memorial.

We may not always be happy with TPD's response to some of our less serious issues but it would seem this individual was a serious threat to the community. The officer, in trying to look into what this individual was up to, ended up losing his life in the process. For those of us in Seminole Heights, Sulphur Springs or other central Tampa neighborhoods, we might want to stop and think about what lives might have been saved at the expense of this officer's life.