TAMPA, Fla. – A Tampa-area McDonald's manager said she was just doing her job when she discovered a gun in a paper bag which led to the arrest of the man police said is behind a string of murders in the Seminole Heights neighborhood.
On Friday, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and the Police Chief Brian Dugan announced Delonda Walker will receive "every penny" of the $110,000 reward raised by law enforcement, business owners and community groups for tips leading to the arrest of 24-year-old Howell Emanuel Donaldson III.
Donaldson worked at the McDonald's.
The arrest brought immense relief to an anxious neighborhood that had stopped many outdoor activities since the first shooting death on Oct. 9.
Tampa police arrested Donaldson on Tuesday after he asked Walker to hold a bag carrying a gun. Walker looked inside the bag, spotted the .40 caliber Glock pistol and approached an officer who was sitting in the Ybor City restaurant doing paperwork.
Buckhorn read a statement Friday during a news conference from Walker.
"I went to work on Tuesday intending to serve customers and do my job, the day turned out very differently," Walker said.
Walker said getting a reward never entered her mind. She said she simply "wanted to do the right thing."
The Tampa Bay Times reported that the family of 20-year-old shooting victim Anthony Naiboa met with Walker to thank her for her actions. Naiboa was the third of four people killed.
"We are a safer community because Ms. Walker did the right thing," Buckhorn said. "If there was no reward she would have done the same thing."
Donaldson is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of four people in the Seminole Heights neighborhood in October and November. He is being held without bond.