Jackpot to Nightmare: Florida Couple's Casino Win Ends in Violent Robbery and Shooting
August 15, 2024
FLORIDA: A Florida couple's excitement after winning a jackpot at a casino quickly turned into terror when they were robbed at gunpoint and shot outside their home. Valery Delacruz and Kim Chambliss were playing slots at Tampa's Hard Rock casino on August 2 when they won a jackpot of $3,300. They cashed in their winnings and drove to their Riverview home shortly before 5 a.m., unaware that they were being followed.
According to police affidavits, two masked men, one later identified as 36-year-old Marcus Jenkins, approached the couple's car, armed with guns. The suspects shot Chambliss in the back of the leg and fired four times at Delacruz, who suffered gunshot wounds to his right thigh and left knee. Jenkins allegedly stole Delacruz's watch and Chambliss' purse, which contained her ID, debit card, and $5, before fleeing in a Hyundai Sonata driven by 34-year-old Tristin Wright.
The couple's Ring camera captured the horrifying ordeal, showing Jenkins ordering Delacruz to remove his watch as the camera was covered up by the hand of the suspect in white sneakers. Investigators recovered five shell casings at the scene and identified Jenkins and Wright through video cameras from the casino and the victims' neighborhoods.
Delacruz and Chambliss described the ordeal in an interview with Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT. Delacruz spoke about his excitement at winning the jackpot and how he was dancing. However, their joy was short-lived, as they never noticed they were being followed. "We're just average people, who are out having a good time, who love each other and enjoying each other's company," Chambliss said. "And to know that we didn't even realize that people were following us every step of the way. It's scary. It's scary."
Delacruz credited the responding deputies with saving his life by putting a tourniquet on his leg. "I lost so much blood, if they didn't do that, I wouldn't have made it," he said. The road to recovery for Delacruz will be long, with an estimated six months before he can walk again. He was unable to take his son to the first day of school on Monday and has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for medical expenses.
Jenkins is facing an attempted murder charge, while Wright is facing a principal to aggravated battery charge. The third suspect has not been arrested. The investigation is ongoing, and police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
