A Florida man, 38, is accused of kidnapping and raping a DoorDash driver in her 20s — then shooting the victim’s family members after they traced her phone and showed up to save her
- Joseph Killins, 38, was arrested Saturday in connection with the April 18 rape and kidnapping at a Tampa apartment complex.
- Authorities say he held the DoorDash female driver at gunpoint and demanded cash, then drove her to the compound where he raped her.
- The next day, he forced another woman to the floor in the compound, police said, and stole her bag
Florida police say a DoorDash driver was kidnapped and raped last week by a man who began shooting at her family members when they tried to rescue her.
Joseph Killins, 38, was arrested Saturday in connection with the April 18 rape and kidnapping at a Tampa apartment complex.
Authorities said Killins held the DoorDash driver in her 20s at gunpoint when he demanded money, and when she had no money, forced her into a car and drove her to an apartment in the Belara Lake Apartment complex where he raped her. .
Tampa police said that while at the apartment complex, the victim’s family checked the location of her cellphone and rushed to help — only to be shot by Killins. It is unclear why they decided to track the driver.
One of the shots hit a family member of the victim’s friend, a woman in her twenties. 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, he threw a woman to the ground in the apartment complex, punched her in the face, and stole her bag, police said.
Police said the next day they received a tip-off that a man at the apartment complex matching the description of a wanted kidnap-rape suspect threw a woman in her early 40s to the ground, punched her in the face and stole her backpack. .
Surveillance footage showed Killens at the scene, and authorities said he was last seen running toward the Haven Waters Edge apartment complex.
Detectives on the two cases worked together, eventually locating Killins at the Tampa Inn on Friday night and placing him in custody.
They then found that he had things linking him to the “rumored” kidnapping and rape, and he later revealed details of the crimes 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 burglary charge in the April 19 incident.
“This criminal is now off the streets thanks to the tireless efforts of every Tampa Police Department employee and the assistance of members of our community,” Interim Chief Lee Berkaw said in a statement.
‘My thoughts remain with the victims. I hope this arrest will give them a sense of relief knowing that he will now face justice for the crimes he chose to commit.
A DoorDash spokesperson also said in a statement: ‘We are appalled by this heinous and abhorrent crime. No one should have to put up with something as horrible as this, and we’re here to support Dasher in any way we can.
“We are grateful to the Tampa police for their hard work to hold the perpetrator to account, and we very much hope that justice will be served.”
