Thursday, July 10, 2008

Deputies Seek Tips In '07 Immokalee Homicide

CCSO investigators are reaching out to the community for new leads in a robbery attempt at an Immokalee supermarket last summer that left a man dead.

And the family of the man who died, Homer Hassam, 60, has put up a large billboard in Immokalee offering a $200,000 reward in connection with the case.

Sunday, July 13, marks the one-year anniversary of the robbery attempt at La Fiesta Supermarket, 1811 Lake Trafford Road.

Investigators gave this account:

Hassam and another man were inside the supermarket around 1:30 p.m., cleaning and renovating the store.

Two men entered the store and asked for work. They were told no work was available and left the store, returning a short while later.

Both men entered the store again. A struggle ensued. Investigators say one of the men shot Hassam in the chest and hit the other man in the head, possibly with a gun.

The men then left the store and drove away in a two-door or four-door, small gray car with tinted windows.

Hassam was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The man who was injured was taken to the hospital for treatment and later released.

Investigators believe the suspects were in the area for at least an hour, and might have stopped in another store’s parking lot.

Investigators have released composite sketches of the two suspects.

The first man is described as black with a dark complexion, in his late 20s to early 30s, and 6 feet tall with a medium build. He had gold front teeth, short hair with dreadlocks and a long goatee. He was wearing silver pyramid-shaped earrings, a black shirt and faded baggy jeans.

The second man is described as black, in his late teens to early 20s, and around 6 feet tall with a medium build. He had short hair and was wearing a baggy red T-shirt and baggy blue jean shorts that hung past his knees.

Hassam’s family, in conjunction with Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, is offering a $200,000 reward _ $100,000 each _ for information leading to the arrests and convictions of the two suspects. The reward is advertised on a billboard on South First Street west of the Seminole Casino.

Anyone with information should call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-793-9300 or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477).

Cualquier persona con informaciòn debe llamar a La Oficina del Aguacil del Condado de Collier al 239-793-9300 o si desea seguir siendo anònimo llame a Crime Stoppers al 1800-780-Tips (8477).

Click here to watch a video about this case.