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LIVE BLOG: Updates on Hurricane Milton

Another USF Bulls Football Player Arrested for Shooting

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
USF cornerback Lamar Robbins, 22, of Lutz, faces charges of discharging a weapon on school property and giving false information to a law enforcement officer

Another USF football player has been arrested in connection with the discharge of a handgun on campus early Sunday morning.

Lamar Robbins, 22, of Miami,  has been taken into custody by university police. He was being held this morning at the Hillsborough County Jail with bail set at $8,000. Officials with the USF Bulls say Robbins has been suspended from all activities with the football team.

"USF Athletics is aware that law enforcement’s investigation of an incident that occurred early Sunday morning has led to the arrest of student-athlete Lamar Robbins," the athletics department said in a prepared statement. "Robbins has been immediately suspended from all team activities, as was the student-athlete previously implicated in this incident. They will remain so as we continue to gather more information through the proper authorities.  We cannot state strongly enough our commitment to the values of our institution and that any behavior inconsistent with those will not be tolerated."

University Police said witnesses say Robbins discharged a handgun in the presence of Benjamin Knox, the other Bulls player who was arrested.

University Police say Knox, 21, of DeLand, allegedly fired a number of gunshots that hit Holly D residence hall on the Tampa campus about 4 a.m. Sunday.

No one was injured in the shooting, and the dormitory sustained some damage. 

Officers heard shots and responded to the area near the Crescent Hill parking garage, located next to the Marshall Student Center. A witness also reported hearing shots and the screeching of tires. Officers found a parked vehicle containing an open gun case as well as a box of .45-caliber ammunition. They also found a number of spent shell casings near the vehicle, according to the police statement.

Officers determined the vehicle belonged to Knox, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman who lives in the Holly D residence hall. After contacting Knox in his room, officers said they found a handgun believed to be used in the shooting.

Knox was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm on school property and shooting into a building.

Robbins has been charged with possessing or discharging a firearm on campus and providing false information to law enforcement officers during an investigation.

Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
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