The identities of two men who were found dead inside a South Johnson Street home Thursday, Dec. 18, have been released.
Lazaro Chiroy Chiroy, 37, and Rolando Chiroy Chiroy, 32, were found at 205 S. Johnson St. at 1:51 a.m.
Someone called the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and said they got a tip about a planned burglary at the residence, according to Plant City police Sgt. Al Van Duyne. A sheriff’s dispatcher transferred the call to Plant City police. When Officers arrived, they found the two Hispanic men dead inside the home.
Without providing additional details, police said the deaths were not a murder-suicide.
“We believe that they were targeted. There’s no reason to believe there’s a threat to the community,” Van Duyne said.
The house had been vacant until Wednesday, when four people moved in, said Anabel Corona, 26, who lives next door.
“It’s crazy,” said Henry Johnson, 59, another neighbor. “It’s very unsettling and disturbing knowing my wife and son were home,” Johnson said. He had been at work at the time of the killings, but said his wife heard what sounded like a gunshot.
The building had been a church in the 1990s and into the 2000s, according to Johnson. Earlier this year, the structure served as a “guys social club,” Johnson said, where people would watch sports.
Police records show officers responded to the house at 2:31 a.m. on Dec. 15, 2013, and found a large crowd gathered in the front and side yards. The officer also saw a woman standing at the door taking money from people entering the building, the report said.
However, Johnson said the house had been vacant for four or five months.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 247-8200. To be eligible a cash reward, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or text “CSTB” plus your tip to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).
Josh Solomon, Tampa Bay Times, contributed to this report.