Tavares Demeico Benjamin Jr, known as TJ, was 21 and a Tampa resident when he was shot and later died of his wounds on May 29, 2023. The shooting happened on Memorial Day afternoon on North 20th Street in Tampa; a bullet entered through his shoulder and into his chest, and he died at the hospital. TJ worked at PDQ and more recently for the United States Postal Service, attended Gaither High School, and was described by his mother, Michele Mosley, as devoted to family and hard‑working.

According to his mother, the confrontation began after TJ’s father demanded $25; TJ sent a video to his mother moments before the shooting, and his father subsequently called Michele to say he had shot TJ. As of the latest report, the father is being held on a $50,000 bond on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm but has not been charged in connection with TJ’s death; the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. A funeral fundraiser and a service in Tampa were organized to help the family cover costs.

If anyone knew TJ or has information about the events on North 20th Street on May 29, 2023, please share what you know.