A man wanted for the slayings of two Tampa police officers surrendered to police Friday night, officials said.
Police in Tampa said Dontae Rashawn Morris turned himself in at around 10:30 p.m. He faces two counts of murder in the deaths of officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab during a routine traffic stop early Tuesday morning.
"Honestly I can never remember a point in my life where I felt more relieved," said Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor. Morris is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, she said.
Morris' surrender came after an intense four-day manhunt in Tampa. Hundreds of officers in tactical gear combed apartment buildings, vacant homes and even in waterways to find Morris. Detectives fielded more than 400 tips in the case.
But in the end, Morris walked into a police station - officials would not say where - just hours after a wake for officers Curtis and Kocab drew hundreds of mourners. By 11 p.m., Morris was upstairs at Tampa Police headquarters as officials held a press conference. He was scheduled to be transferred to the county jail later in the evening.
It was not yet known whether Morris has retained a lawyer.
"Tonight, everyone in Tampa can sleep easier because Dontae Morris is off the streets," said Mayor Pam Iorio, during a late-night news conference at police headquarters.
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Around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, Curtis pulled over a man and woman in a red Toyota Camry. He called for backup after seeing that the man - identified as Morris - was wanted in Jacksonville for writing a bad check.
Six minutes after Curtis and Kocab approached the passenger side, a witness called 911 to report they were shot. The officers were pronounced dead at a hospital.
The driver of the car, Cortnee Brantley, was charged Friday night with a federal count of witnessing a felony and not reporting it. She was being taken to the Hillsborough County Jail. It was unknown whether she had retained an attorney.
Earlier Friday, police officers, government officials, relatives and others crowded into a church to pay their respects to the two slain officers.
At the service, photographs of Curtis with his wife and four sons were shown on large screens. Kocab was pictured with his wife, who is nine months pregnant.
Friends, colleagues and members of the public took turns viewing the men's flag draped caskets. The slain officers' relatives sat nearby.
Funerals for the two men - who were both 31 - are scheduled for Saturday.
"It's just invaluable to the men and women of the Tampa Police Department to have this closure, to be able to go into the funeral tomorrow and give the tribute that officers Curtis and Kocab deserve for their sacrifice, knowing that Dontae Morris is behind bars," the Tampa police chief said.
Officials say Morris, a 24-year-old convicted felon, is a suspect in two other slayings and wanted for questioning in a third, in addition to the police killings.
On May 18, 21-year-old Derek Anderson was fatally shot outside of his family's apartment in Tampa. Detectives thought the killer tried to take Anderson's backpack, then shot him.
No arrests were made in that case.
During a news conference on Friday, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said Morris is a suspect in the June 8 slaying of Harold Wright, a father of four who was found severely injured on the side of the road. He died on the way to the hospital.
"There was not probable cause to charge him prior to this day," said Gee. "We did not know the extent of the involvement" before Tuesday's police shooting.
Authorities are also looking into why Morris was released from prison in April and not transferred to Jacksonville, where the sheriff's office wanted him on bad check charges.
Department of Corrections spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said the agency notified the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office that Morris was getting out of prison and they needed to pick him up.
Corrections officers informed Jacksonville authorities of Morris' impending release last October, prison records showed.
In a statement posted on his office's Facebook page Wednesday night, Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford said there were three worthless check warrants for Morris. One of the warrants was for a felony, and Rutherford said his office was looking into the matter to determine if a clerk missed it.
Chief Castor said the entire city is relieved to bring closure to the case.
"I pray that it brings a level of peace to the families of David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab," said Castor. "I also hope that it gives a level of relief to this community."
