The 38-year-old Florida man is accused of kidnapping the 20-something DoorDash driver and raping her – then shooting the victim’s relatives after they tracked down her phone and showed up to find her. to rescue
- Joseph Killins, 38, was arrested Saturday in connection with an April 18 rape and kidnapping at a Tampa apartment complex
- Authorities say he held a female DoorDash driver at gunpoint and demanded money, then drove her to the complex where he raped her
- The next day, police said, he forced another woman to the ground near the complex and stole her backpack
A female DoorDash driver was kidnapped and raped last week by a man who began shooting her relatives as they tried to rescue her, Florida police said.
Joseph Killins, 38, was arrested Saturday in connection with the April 18 rape and kidnapping at a Tampa apartment complex.
Authorities have said Killins held the 20-something DoorDash driver at gunpoint when he demanded money, and when she didn’t have the money, he forced her into a car and forced her to drive to an apartment in the Belara Lake apartment complex, where he raped her. .
While at the apartment complex, Tampa police said, the victim’s family checked her cell phone and rushed to help — only to be shot at by Killins. It’s not clear why they decided to track down the driver.
One of the shots hit a relative of the victim’s girlfriend, a woman in her 20s. It is unclear what her condition is.
Joseph Killins, 38, was arrested Saturday in connection with the April 18 rape and kidnapping at a Tampa apartment complex
The next day, police said, he threw a woman to the ground near the apartment complex, punched her in the face and stole her backpack
The next day, police said, they received a report that a man in the apartment complex matching the description of the suspect wanted in the kidnapping and rape threw a woman in her early 40s to the ground, punched her in the face and stole her backpack. .
Surveillance footage showed Killins at the scene and according to authorities, he was last seen running toward the Haven Waters Edge apartment complex.
Detectives from the two cases worked together and eventually found Killins Friday night at the Tampa Inn hotel and took him into custody.
They then discovered he had items linking him to the “gruesome” kidnapping and rape, and he later “revealed details specific to the crimes that occurred on April 18” when questioned by police.
He now faces charges of armed kidnapping, robbery with a firearm, armed sexual battery and aggravated battery with a weapon, as well as a charge of robbery in the April 19 incident.
“This criminal is now off the streets thanks to the tireless efforts of every employee of the Tampa Police Department and the help of members of our community,” interim Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement.
My thoughts remain with the victims. I hope this arrest gives them a sense of comfort knowing that he will now stand trial for the crimes he committed.”
A spokesperson for DoorDash also said in a statement: “We are shocked by this heinous and abhorrent crime. No one should ever have to experience something as horrific as this, and we’re here to support the Dasher in any way we can.
“We are grateful to the Tampa Police Department for their hard work in bringing the perpetrator to account, and we very much hope justice is served.”